This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact The Epoch Times Reprints.
Heavy machinery operates as Israeli forces dismantle the Jerusalem headquarters of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), in East Jerusalem, on Jan. 20, 2026. Ammar Awad/Reuters
Israel on Jan. 20 began demolishing the East Jerusalem headquarters of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), sending bulldozers and security forces into the compound in the early morning hours, according to statements from the United Nations and Israeli officials.
Israeli forces entered the site with heavy equipment and destroyed buildings inside the compound, UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said in a Jan. 20 statement, describing it as an “unprecedented attack.”
Israel’s Foreign Ministry said the East Jerusalem compound did not enjoy diplomatic immunity.
Ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein said in a Jan. 20 post on X that UNRWA no longer had personnel or activity at the site and that the seizure was carried out “in accordance with both Israeli and international law.”
The move came amid broader Israeli efforts to curtail the agency’s presence, following legislation passed by Israel’s parliament last year that bars the agency from operating on Israeli territory and restricts official contact with it.
The legislation also stripped UNRWA staff of their legal immunity.
Israeli officials have said the laws reflect long-standing concerns about the agency’s role and alleged links between some of its employees and terrorist groups.
“UNRWA-Hamas has long ceased to be a humanitarian aid organization, serving instead as a greenhouse for terrorism,” Marmorstein said.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a separate Jan. 20 post on X that agency personnel “perpetrated terror” and its facilities “were used to store weapons, launch rockets, access terror tunnels.”
Israeli national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, present at the demolition site on Jan. 20, called it a “historic day” and said supporters of terrorism were being driven out of Jerusalem.
Jerusalem has alleged that several agency staff members participated in or supported the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel by Hamas. UNRWA investigated 19 staff over the allegations, and nine were dismissed over possible links.
Of the other 10 staff, one was cleared and nine lacked sufficient evidence.
UNRWA, which operates across Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria, rejects claims it is infiltrated by Hamas.
Lazzarini said that Israel was obligated under international law to respect the inviolability of U.N. premises and accused the government of open defiance of those obligations.
He cited a ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in October 2025 that reaffirmed Israel’s obligation to facilitate UNRWA’s work and stated that Israel has no jurisdiction over East Jerusalem.
“There can be no exceptions,” Lazzarini said, warning that the attack could set a precedent affecting other international organizations.
Israel, as well as the United States, is a member of the U.N. and a party to the ICJ Statute, but neither recognizes the court’s compulsory jurisdiction.
Evgenia Filimianova is a UK-based journalist covering a wide range of international stories, with a particular interest in foreign policy, economy, and UK politics.
