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9h ago

Israel Demolishes Buildings at UNRWA’s East Jerusalem Compound

UN officials say the razing violates the agency’s immunities despite Israel’s ban on its operations.

A photograph shows machinery demolishing a structure inside the headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem on January 20, 2026. Israeli bulldozers began demolitions at the headquarters of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees in east Jerusalem on January 20, in what the organisation called an "unprecedented attack". The compound in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem has been empty of UNRWA staff since January 2025, when a law banning its operations took effect after a months-long battle over its work in the Gaza Strip. (Photo by ILIA YEFIMOVICH / AFP via Getty Images)
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Overview

  • Israeli forces entered the Sheikh Jarrah/Ammunition Hill compound around 7 a.m. local time, ousted security guards, and brought in bulldozers to tear down multiple structures as an Israeli flag was raised over the site.
  • National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visited during the operation and praised it, while Israel’s foreign ministry said the state owns the property, that it has no immunity, and that UNRWA had vacated the site since early 2025.
  • UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini condemned the action as an unprecedented attack on UN premises, and UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged Israel to halt the demolition and return the compound, citing the inviolability of UN sites.
  • The move follows a legal campaign that includes an October 2024 ban on UNRWA operations in areas Israel deems sovereign and December 2025 measures enabling the state to cut water and electricity to UNRWA facilities and reclaim UN-linked properties.
  • The Palestinian Authority and several foreign officials denounced the demolition, and UNRWA warned that utility cutoffs to its health and education sites are planned under recent legislation, heightening concerns over humanitarian access and international legal obligations.