Israel Raids UNRWA Headquarters In East Jerusalem

Israeli military illustration in the Gaza Strip. (Source: IDF)

JAKARTA - Israeli police on Monday stormed the headquarters of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) which was sealed in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, occupied East Jerusalem.

Jerusalem's governorship, which is affiliated with the Palestinian Authority, said police forces raided the headquarters, detained security officers and confiscated their phones.

"Israeli police cut off communications, making it impossible to know what was happening inside the compound," he added in a statement, according to Anadolu (8/12).

The raids took place "along with the total closure of the surrounding area and extensive searches carried out by occupation forces across all building facilities," the statement said.

"This raid is a direct challenge to the vote of the majority of the UN General Assembly a few days ago to renew the UNRWA mandate," the governor said.

The complex has served as UNRWA's office since 1951, but the agency vacated it earlier this year following the Israeli government's decision.

The governorship called for urgent international action to hold Israel accountable "for violations of international law," and to try Israeli leaders "for crimes and violations committed against the Palestinian people and their national and international institutions."

Tel Aviv has banned UNRWA operations in occupied Jerusalem under a law passed by Knesset (parlemen) in the October 2024 ruling and comes into effect on January 30, 2025.

There has been no immediate comment from Israeli police or UNRWA regarding the raid.

Last Friday, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution to renew its UNRWA mandate for three years. The resolution was supported by 151 votes, 10 opposing votes, and 14 abstention voices.

UNRWA was founded by the UN General Assembly more than 70 years ago to help Palestinians forced to flee their lands.

The UN agency has faced severe financial difficulties since Israel launched a defamation campaign against UNRWA, claiming their staff were involved in the October 7 attack.

Although UNRWA has asked the Israeli government to provide information and evidence supporting the allegations, the agency has not yet received a response.

Following allegations by Israel, several major donor countries, including the US, suspended or suspended funding.