OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (Palestine Foundation Information Center), Israeli occupation police forces stormed the headquarters of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of occupied Jerusalem on Monday morning, conducting extensive searches and seizing the phones of security guards stationed at the facility.
UNRWA confirmed the raid, saying Israeli forces entered the compound at dawn and confiscated the guards’ devices.
The incident came just days after the UN General Assembly overwhelmingly adopted five resolutions in support of Palestine, including an extension of UNRWA’s mandate.
The Jerusalem Governorate condemned the raid as a blatant violation of international law and a direct assault on the immunity and integrity of UN institutions. It said the move contravenes the UN Charter, membership obligations, and binding Security Council Resolution 2730 (May 24, 2024), which requires states to protect UN agencies and humanitarian workers, protections that explicitly apply to UNRWA, its facilities, and its staff.
In an official statement, the Governorate reported that heavily armed Israeli troops stormed the building in the early morning hours, detained security personnel, and seized their phones, cutting off communication and preventing staff from knowing what was happening inside. The surrounding area was sealed off as troops carried out full searches of the premises.
According to the Governorate, the raid follows a series of assaults by settlers and Knesset members after the Israeli government’s decision to outlaw UNRWA’s operations in occupied Jerusalem. That ban, which took effect on January 30, forced international UNRWA staff to leave the city when their Israeli permits expired, while local employees were not present during Monday’s raid.
The Governorate reiterated that East Jerusalem remains occupied territory under international law and that Israel’s annexation of the city is not recognized. Targeting a UN agency dedicated to serving refugees, it said, represents a grave attack on the international system and on the authority of the United Nations itself.
It added that the raid blatantly challenges last week’s General Assembly decision to renew UNRWA’s mandate with overwhelming support.
The statement also reaffirmed the International Court of Justice’s legal opinion that Israel has no sovereignty over any part of the occupied Palestinian territories, including Jerusalem, and that these areas remain integral to UNRWA’s operational zone. It urged the international community to oppose Israel’s recent measures, describing them as tools to entrench occupation and deepen oppression against the Palestinian people.
The Governorate called for urgent international action to hold Israel accountable as a state acting outside international law, and to prosecute its leaders for crimes and violations committed against Palestinians and against national and UN institutions.
Earlier this year, the Israeli Knesset passed a law banning UNRWA activities within areas it claims fall under “Israeli sovereignty,” blocking the agency from maintaining offices or providing services, in addition to another law prohibiting any official contact with UNRWA.
