US EditionIsrael demolishes HQ of U.N. Palestinian refugee agency in East Jerusalem
Israeli authorities plan to cut power and water to remaining UNRWA sites amid allegations of security risks; over 380 UNRWA staff have died since October 2023, the agency said.
- On January 20, 2026, Israeli forces led by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir stormed and bulldozed the Ammunition Hill compound, and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees said the site was later set on fire.
- Israel's parliament moved to strip diplomatic immunity and seize property after accusing some UNRWA staff of involvement in the October 7 attacks, banning the agency from operating in Israeli-defined territory.
- At the community level, vocational and school programmes serving 800 students in occupied East Jerusalem and around 350 male students at Qalandia Training Centre face closure, risking UNRWA’s aid to 5.9 million Palestinian refugees.
- UN Secretary‑General António Guterres and United Nations senior officials condemned last Tuesday's demolitions, while eight firefighting teams extinguished the Sunday blaze with no injuries reported.
- Israeli officials say they will seek to close additional UNRWA facilities and repurpose sites for housing and government offices, while United Nations authorities consider legal avenues including the International Court of Justice.
29 Articles
29 Articles
Is the End of the UN Relief & Works Agency for Palestinians the End of the Int'l Order?
New York (Special to Informed Comment; Feature) – Supported by U.S. military, political and financial muscle, Israel seeks to demolish the UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA in the occupied territories. It reflects the ongoing war against the poorest in the Global South. Last Friday, the UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA said that The Qalandiya Training Center for hundreds of Palestinians in the West Bank could be closed within days by Israel…
“After being assaulted and demolished by the Israeli authorities, the UNRWA headquarters in occupied East Jerusalem has now been set on fire,” the agency said in a statement.
Israel had seized and began to destroy the premises of the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees on Tuesday. The organization denounces a "continuous attempt to dismantle the status of Palestinian refugees".
The United Nations Agency for Palestinian Refugees (Unrwa) announced on Sunday 25 January that its seat in East Jerusalem, partially demolished, was burned down.
The siege of Unrwa in East Jerusalem, partially demolished by the Israeli authorities, was set on fire on Sunday, while the United Nations organization continues to provide services to Palestinian refugees. ...
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