Israeli authorities on Tuesday began bulldozing parts of the East Jerusalem headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), sharply escalating Israel’s long-running confrontation with the UN body that delivers humanitarian assistance to millions of Palestinians across the Middle East. The move drew swift condemnation from UNRWA, which described the demolition as a serious breach of international law.
According to the agency, Israeli forces entered the UNRWA compound in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood early in the morning, forcibly removed security guards, seized equipment belonging to staff, and proceeded with the demolition under heavy security. Bulldozers flattened several large buildings along with smaller structures inside the compound, a site that previously housed dozens of UN employees and served as a logistical hub for aid operations. UNRWA said the action constituted an unprecedented attack on United Nations property and violated the organisation’s privileges and immunities under international law.
Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir was present at the site and publicly celebrated the demolition, calling it a “historic day” and sharing footage of the operation as the machinery moved in. Israeli officials framed the move as the enforcement of recently passed legislation that bans UNRWA from operating in areas Israel defines as its territory.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry said the compound did not enjoy diplomatic immunity and argued that the seizure and demolition were consistent with Israeli law and international legal standards. Israeli authorities have for years accused UNRWA of institutional bias and alleged infiltration by Hamas, claims the agency has repeatedly rejected. During the ongoing Gaza war, which began after the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel, Israeli officials have asserted that militants used UNRWA facilities and that some staff members were involved in terrorist activity. UNRWA has said Israel has produced limited evidence for these allegations, though it acknowledged dismissing several employees following internal investigations.
UNRWA representatives and former staff strongly criticised the demolition. A spokesperson previously characterised Israel’s campaign against the agency as a sustained disinformation effort aimed at undermining its work. Former officials said some of the buildings destroyed on Tuesday had been used to store humanitarian supplies intended for Gaza and the West Bank. Hakam Shahwan, a former chief of staff at UNRWA’s East Jerusalem headquarters, said the demolition sent a broader message that Israel believed it could disregard international law without consequence.
The action follows legislation approved by Israel’s Knesset in October 2024 that bars UNRWA from operating in territories Israel claims, including East Jerusalem. The law also cut formal ties between Israeli government bodies and the agency, revoked legal immunities for UNRWA staff, and made coordination with authorities effectively unworkable. UNRWA vacated the compound early last year after being ordered to halt operations there, but it has consistently maintained that the site remains United Nations property.
Israeli municipal authorities had previously raided the compound, citing alleged unpaid property taxes. UNRWA rejected those claims, insisting it owed no taxes and that the premises retained their UN status. The United Nations and most of the international community regard East Jerusalem as occupied territory, although Israel claims the entire city as its capital.
The demolition is part of a wider tightening of restrictions on humanitarian and non-governmental organisations working in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. Israel has enacted laws requiring aid groups to vet staff for activities deemed to “delegitimise Israel,” to avoid support for boycotts, and to submit detailed staff lists as a condition for operating. Dozens of international organisations, including Doctors Without Borders and CARE, have been warned that their licences could expire by the end of 2025, raising concerns that already severe humanitarian conditions will further deteriorate.
UNRWA’s future now appears increasingly uncertain as Israel moves to dismantle its presence in Jerusalem and beyond. The agency plays a central role in supporting Palestinian refugees, providing education, healthcare, shelter, and social services to roughly 2.5 million people in Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem, as well as another 3 million across Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon. Supporters argue that Israel’s actions are intended to marginalise the Palestinian refugee issue, a core and deeply contested element of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, while Palestinians maintain that those displaced during the 1948 war surrounding Israel’s creation retain a right of return—an assertion Israel firmly rejects.
