Israel Demolishes UNRWA Headquarters in East Jerusalem
The move has drawn fierce condemnation from 11 influential nations, including the United Kingdom, France, Canada, and Japan, who have labeled the act a flagrant violation of international law.
In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of Belgium, Denmark, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Portugal, and Spain described the demolition as an "unprecedented attack." The statement urged the Israeli government, as a UN member state, to immediately cease all such destructive actions.
Since the onset of the war in Gaza, Israel has intensified pressure on UNRWA, alleging ties to Hamas without providing conclusive evidence—claims that the United Nations has consistently rejected. Following legislation passed by the Israeli parliament in late 2024 to ban the agency’s operations, the demolition process reportedly began last week in the presence of Israeli lawmakers.
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini described the event as an "assault on the international system." He noted that the demolition directly violates the October 2025 ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which ordered Israel to lift all restrictions on the agency.
Humanitarian organizations warn that by crippling UNRWA—the primary entity capable of distributing aid—Israel is accelerating the humanitarian catastrophe in war-torn Gaza, where food and medicine shortages have reached critical levels.
