Israel bulldozes Unrwa headquarters in East Jerusalem

On January 20, 2026, Israeli crews began demolishing Unrwa’s Jerusalem headquarters. Roland Friedrich, the agency’s West Bank director, said bulldozers and police arrived at the East Jerusalem site before dawn, entered the compound, seized equipment and removed private security guards. Although the facility had been largely unused for nearly a year due to security threats, an Israeli flag was raised over the site in Sheikh Jarrah as politicians gathered to mark the moment. National security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir hailed it as “a historic day.”

The demolition is the latest move against Unrwa, which provides aid to millions of Palestinian refugees. Israel accuses the United Nations agency of collaborating with Hamas, allegations the agency strongly denies, and has used them to justify banning its operations.

Founded in 1949, Unrwa supports about 2.5 million Palestinian refugees in Gaza, the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, and a further 3 million in Syria, Jordan and Lebanon. For decades, it has run schools, provided healthcare and maintained infrastructure in refugee camps across the region.

Israel defended the demolition, with the foreign ministry saying the site no longer hosted UN personnel or activities and therefore enjoyed no immunity. It said the seizure was carried out in line with Israeli and international law.

Friedrich rejected that claim, calling the move a violation of international law protecting UN facilities. He described it as “the culmination of two years of incitement and measures against Unrwa in East Jerusalem”. The agency’s work was sharply curtailed in 2025 after Israel’s Knesset passed legislation severing ties with Unrwa and banning it from operating in areas Israel defines as its territory, including East Jerusalem.

The latest action comes amid a long-running political and financial campaign against the agency. The US cut funding to Unrwa in 2018 under Donald Trump, restored it in 2021 under Joe Biden, and then paused contributions again in 2024. Unrwa has recorded 382 colleagues killed by Israeli forces in Gaza since the start of the conflict.

Israel’s ban on Unrwa is part of wider efforts to tighten oversight of humanitarian groups in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. New laws require NGOs to fire staff accused of “delegitimising Israel” or backing boycotts and to submit detailed staff lists to keep operating.

Authorities have warned dozens of groups, including Médecins Sans Frontières and Care, that their licences may expire in 2025. Aid organisations say the measures are arbitrary and will hit civilians hardest amid an acute humanitarian crisis.

Philippe Lazzarini, Unrwa’s commissioner general statement on X:

“This comes in the wake of other steps taken by Israeli authorities to erase the Palestine refugee identity. This must be a wake-up call. What happens today to Unrwa will happen tomorrow to any other international organisation or diplomatic mission, whether in the Occupied Palestinian Territory or anywhere around the world.”