Israeli Forces Demolish UNRWA Buildings in "Unprecedented Attack"

"Armed with bulldozers and tear gas, the Israeli military forcefully entered the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) office in Sheikh Jarrah, in East Jerusalem. They targeted at least two UNRWA buildings for demolition, and fired tear gas in a vocational school serving young refugees in Qalandia, on the outskirts of Jerusalem; the Palestinian Authority said that Israeli forces hit a 15-year-old boy in the eye with a rubber bullet."

""A new level of open and deliberate defiance of international law, including of the privileges and immunities of the United Nations, by the State of Israel," said UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini. "This constitutes an unprecedented attack against a United Nations agency and its premises.""

UNRWA headquarters in Sheikh Jarrah were stormed and at least two agency buildings were demolished by Israeli forces using heavy machinery and tear gas. Tear gas was deployed inside a vocational school serving young refugees in Qalandia, and a 15-year-old boy was reported hit in the eye with a rubber bullet. Israeli government officials and lawmakers observed the operation and appeared to approve. UNRWA has lost 309 employees in Gaza amid broader actions including financial bans and attempts to dismantle the agency. UN officials condemned the operation as an unprecedented violation of UN privileges, immunities, and international law. The action represents one of the most extreme moves against the agency to date and escalates concerns about humanitarian protections.

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