Israeli crews raze UNRWA headquarters in East Jerusalem compound

Bulldozers moved into the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) compound in East Jerusalem early Tuesday as Israeli crews and security forces began demolishing buildings and sealing surrounding streets, marking a sharp escalation in a long-running dispute between Israel and the U.N. agency.

UNRWA spokesperson Jonathan Fowler said Israeli forces entered the compound at about 07:00 local time and forced out the compound’s security guards before heavy machinery began ripping corrugated metal roofs and tearing down walls. Journalists and witnesses described police and other security units accompanying the bulldozers, with streets around the site blocked and piles of debris left where classrooms and offices once stood. UNRWA officials said personnel were evicted and that equipment was confiscated; Israeli authorities said no U.N. staff were present when the demolition began.

Israeli officials justified the move under domestic legislation enacted in January 2025 that bars UNRWA from operating in territory the government defines as Israeli, including East Jerusalem. The Foreign Ministry framed the operation as enforcement of that law. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir publicly celebrated the action, saying he had accompanied crews to the headquarters and calling it a “historic day.”

UNRWA denounced the demolition as “an unprecedented attack” and “a serious violation of international law,” warning of deep legal and operational consequences. Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said the action “came in the wake of other steps taken by Israeli authorities to erase the Palestine Refugee identity” and cautioned that “what happens today to UNRWA will happen tomorrow to any other international organisation or diplomatic mission.” The United Nations and other international actors expressed alarm at what they described as a breach of U.N. privileges and immunities.

The compound’s location is widely reported to be in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of East Jerusalem, a focal point of recent property and residency disputes. UNRWA had not used this East Jerusalem building since the start of last year after an Israeli order to vacate; despite the seizure and demolitions, the agency continues to operate in the West Bank and Gaza, where it employs thousands and remains a major provider of education, health and social services. Aid officials say those operations have been severely strained by the Gaza war and recent restrictions on humanitarian groups; governments imposed a prior ban on dozens of international aid organisations weeks ago, complicating delivery of food, medical support and shelter.

The demolition compounds fears among donors and humanitarian agencies that the legal environment for international operations in the occupied territories is deteriorating. Analysts say the immediate consequence will be further disruption to services that millions of Palestinians depend on, while the longer-term impact may be a chilling effect on foreign aid, increased legal battles over diplomatic protections, and heightened political risk for organisations that operate in contested spaces. Israeli leaders portray the action as a security and sovereignty measure; international critics call it a dangerous precedent that could erode the legal safeguards protecting U.N. premises and humanitarian access.

With both sides framing the move in existential terms, the next days are likely to bring diplomatic protests, possible legal challenges at international fora, and intensified scrutiny by major donors whose funding is vital to sustaining UNRWA’s work across the occupied territories.