Ankara: Israeli forces on Monday stormed the sealed headquarters of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of occupied East Jerusalem. The compound had served as an UNRWA office since 1951, but the agency vacated it earlier this year following an Israeli government decision. Tel Aviv banned UNRWA's operations in Jerusalem under a law passed by the Knesset (parliament).
According to Anadolu Agency, the Jerusalem Governorate, affiliated with the Palestinian Authority, reported that police forces raided the headquarters, detained security guards, and confiscated their phones. The raid occurred alongside a complete closure of the surrounding area and extensive searches carried out by the occupation forces across all facilities of the building. The governorate stated that the raid represents a direct challenge to the UN General Assembly's recent vote to renew UNRWA's mandate.
The governorate called for urgent international action to hold Israel accountable for violating international law and to prosecute Israeli leaders for crimes and abuses committed against the Palestinian people and their national and international institutions. In response, the Israeli police said in a written statement sent to Anadolu that the operation was a municipal matter related to unpaid debts to the municipality and not a police matter, with police present to secure the municipal employees.
When questioned about the Israeli flag on the premises, Israeli police referred the matter back to the municipality. On Friday, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution to renew the UNRWA mandate for three years, with 151 votes in favor, 10 against, and 14 abstentions. UNRWA was established by the UN General Assembly over 70 years ago to assist Palestinians forcibly displaced from their land.
The UN agency has been facing severe financial difficulties since Israel launched a campaign against UNRWA, alleging staff involvement in attacks on October 7. Despite UNRWA's requests for evidence to support the claims, the agency has received no response. Following Israel's accusations, several key donor nations, including the US, suspended or paused funding.