JAKARTA - The United Nations Agency for Assistance and Work for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) said on Thursday hundreds of children were traumatized and threatened with losing access to education, as a result of raids followed by the closure of UN-run schools in Jerusalem Thursday.
Israeli armed forces entered and closed schools in UNRWA-run Jerusalem, in the latest steps taken by authorities to expel the organization from territory controlled by Israel.
Israeli personnel who were "heavy weapons" along with city officials and education stormed three UNRWA schools in the Shuafat refugee camp, detaining a staff member and ordering others to immediately disperse students, according to a statement from the organization, quoted from The National 8 May.
It said the action was an "international law violation".
More than 550 students aged six to 15 were present at the time. UNRWA officials also reported Israeli troops placed in three other schools managed by the agency, where teachers dispersed 250 students "to ensure their safety".
UNRWA said Thursday's raids in Jerusalem "carried trauma against 800 small children who were at risk of losing their direct access to education".
Israeli officials said schools in the Israeli system would be created for the students, but few details were provided.
The organization also provides health care, financial support, and vocational training, among other services, which are also affected by the ban.
Meanwhile, Palestinian human rights organization, Ada, which is against UNRWA's ban on the Supreme Court, called for "urgent international interventions" following school raids.
Israeli police said officers were only present to guard and ensure the safety of Education Ministry personnel as they carry out their official duties".
It is known that Israeli law prohibits the organization from taking effect in January. The closure order was issued by police to schools in Jerusalem last month.
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Israel itself has long opposed the work and existence of UNRWA, criticizing its school curriculum, which it says prompted incitement and role of the organization in expanding the status of sustainable refugees to Palestinians whose families were seized and displaced in the 1948 war.
Israel's criticism became more intense after the October 7, 2023 attack. It is suspected that about 10 percent of UNRWA staff in the Gaza Strip, about 1,200 people, were affiliated with the Palestinian militant group that carried out the attack in southern Israel.
UNRWA said it had not received any information, "Moreover, evidence", from Israel or any UN member state of the claim.
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