JERUSALEM: Israeli forces on Tuesday demolished structures inside the headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of occupied East Jerusalem.
The action marks an unprecedented escalation in Israel’s crackdown on international aid agencies operating in Palestinian territories.
UNRWA said in a statement that Israeli authorities had confiscated staff devices and forced personnel out of their offices.
“This is an unprecedented attack not only against UNRWA and its premises. It constitutes a serious violation of international law and the privileges and immunities of the United Nations,” the agency said.
“A new level of open and deliberate defiance of international law, including of the privileges and immunities of the United Nations, by the State of Israel.
Early this morning, Israeli forces stormed the UNRWA Headquarters, a United Nations site, in East Jerusalem.
Bulldozers… pic.twitter.com/mKHg30KG7p
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) January 20, 2026
Targeting of more UN facilities
Later on Tuesday, Israeli forces fired tear gas at a Palestinian trade school, another UN facility in occupied East Jerusalem, according to local sources, cited by Palestinian news agency Wafa.
The Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that Israeli bulldozers stormed UNRWA’s compound after sealing off surrounding streets.
Israeli officials and lawmakers were reportedly present during the demolition.
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini condemned the action as part of a broader campaign to erase Palestinian refugee identity.
“What happens today to UNRWA will happen tomorrow to any other international organisation or diplomatic mission,” Lazzarini warned.
A lost moral compass opens a barbaric new era: after Israeli officials compete to take credit for the storming & destruction of a United Nation compound in occupied East Jerusalem, others call for the annihilation of an entire community of UNRWA staff.
These statements from…
— Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) January 20, 2026
Israel justifies demilition
Israel has repeatedly accused UNRWA of pro-Palestinian bias and alleged links to Hamas, claims the UN agency denies.
The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the demolition followed a new law banning UNRWA operations in Israel.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir described the demolition as a “historic day” and led the operation himself.
“This is a historic day, a holiday, a very important day for the governance of Jerusalem,” Ben-Gvir wrote on X, the social media platform.
Israeli deputy mayor Aryeh King called the agency “Nazi” and declared, “Now it’s happening: UNRWA is being kicked out of Jerusalem!”
The international community has strongly condemned Israel’s measures.
Restrictions and NGO crackdown
Israel’s parliament passed a law in October 2024 banning UNRWA from operating in Israel and prohibiting Israeli officials from interacting with the agency.
Last month, the law was amended to cut electricity and water supply to UNRWA facilities in occupied East Jerusalem.
The demolition comes weeks after Israel revoked the licences of 37 international aid organisations, including Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and the Norwegian Refugee Council, citing new regulations requiring detailed disclosures about staff, funding, and operations.
Displacement and humanitarian crisis
UNRWA was established over 70 years ago to assist Palestinians forcibly displaced from their homes.
The demolition coincides with the one-year anniversary of a major Israeli assault on three Palestinian refugee camps and follows “large-scale” Israeli operations in Hebron.
Local observers said the destruction of homes, roads, and UN facilities represents an attempt to erase Palestinian identity and hinder the right of return.
Israeli measures have systematically restricted aid delivery to Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, according to Al Jazeera.
Lazzarini emphasised the wider implications of Israel’s actions. “International law has come under increasing attack for too long and is risking irrelevancy in the absence of response by Member States,” he said.
“There can be no exceptions. This must be a wake-up call.”
