Israeli crews on Tuesday started bulldozing the Jerusalem headquarters of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, pushing forward with its crackdown against an organization that delivers humanitarian services to millions of people across the region.
Israel has long accused the United Nations Relief and Works Agency of collaborating with Hamas — a charge it denies — and last year banned it from operating on its territory. Tuesday’s demolition marked Israel’s latest and most dramatic step against UNRWA.
UNRWA said on X that Israeli forces had confiscated staff devices and forced them out of their headquarters in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood.
“This is an unprecedented attack not only against UNRWA and its premises. It constitutes a serious violation of international law and the privileges and immunities of the United Nations,” it said.
Israel has long criticized UNRWA for what it said are pro-Palestinian leanings and accused it of ties to Hamas.
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