Jerusalem Governorate: Demolition of UNRWA offices is a dangerous escalation and a violation of international immunity.
Jerusalem, January 20, 2026 (WAFA) – The Minister of National Security in the Israeli occupation government, Itamar Ben-Gvir, stormed the headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, north of occupied Jerusalem.
The Jerusalem Governorate reported that Ben-Gvir is personally overseeing the demolition operations inside the agency’s headquarters, and that a seizure order was issued in favor of the so-called “Israel Land Authority” against the UNRWA headquarters, following the implementation of demolition operations that affected facilities inside the headquarters prior to the suspension of the decision.
On Tuesday morning, Israeli bulldozers demolished facilities inside the UNRWA compound in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood .
Local sources reported that a force from the occupation army, accompanied by bulldozers, stormed the agency’s headquarters after surrounding the streets and intensifying its military presence in the area, and began demolishing facilities inside the agency’s compound .
The sources indicated that the occupation forces raised the Israeli flag inside the UNRWA headquarters at the same time as the demolition operation was carried out.
The Jerusalem Governorate considered that the demolition of mobile offices inside the UNRWA compound in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of occupied Jerusalem by the occupation forces, accompanied by the so-called “Israel Land Authority”, constitutes a dangerous escalation and a direct targeting of a UN agency that enjoys international legal immunity, especially with the occupation forces taking down the UN flag and raising the flag of the occupying state inside the compound, under the pretext of lack of a permit, in a blatant violation of the sanctity of international institutions .
The governorate explained in a statement issued on Tuesday that the UNRWA compound in Jerusalem remains affiliated with the United Nations and enjoys immunity from any form of intervention or executive, administrative, judicial or legislative measures, in accordance with the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations, which was confirmed by the International Court of Justice, stressing that the Israeli occupation does not have any sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, nor over the UN institutions operating therein .
The governorate indicated that this attack comes in the context of a systematic and continuous escalation against UNRWA, following the agency’s notification of the intention of service companies (electricity and water) to stop supplying a number of its facilities in occupied East Jerusalem with electricity and water, in addition to the occupation forces’ storming, on the twelfth of this month, of the UNRWA health center and issuing an order to close it temporarily, even though it serves refugees and is their main source for obtaining primary health care .
The governorate confirmed that this escalation was preceded by months of harassment and violations against UNRWA, including deliberate arson attacks during 2024, incitement and intimidation demonstrations, a widespread media disinformation campaign, and anti-UNRWA legislation passed by the Israeli occupation in clear violation of its international obligations, which led to the agency’s staff being forced to evacuate the compound at the beginning of last year, as well as the confiscation of furniture, information technology equipment and other property .
The Jerusalem Governorate stressed that these measures constitute a direct targeting of a UN humanitarian agency that enjoys international consensus on its vital and irreplaceable role, and serves about 192,000 Palestinian refugees in the governorate. It considered that these measures impede the implementation of the mandate granted to UNRWA by the UN General Assembly, and held the Israeli occupation, as the occupying power, fully responsible for its repercussions, within the framework of its continuous endeavor to eliminate the refugee issue and their inherent right to return in accordance with international legitimacy resolutions .
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