Jerusalem: The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) reported that a large number of Israeli forces stormed its headquarters in Sheikh Jarrah, East Jerusalem, in the early hours of Monday morning.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency - WAFA, a statement from UNRWA indicated that trucks and cranes were seen entering the compound. The agency added that no further information is available at this time, as Israeli forces have cut off communications, and no UN staff are currently inside the premises.
UNRWA emphasized that the unauthorized and forceful entry of Israeli forces constitutes a violation of its privileges and immunities as a UN agency. The agency highlighted that Israel is a party to the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations, which stipulates the inviolability of UN premises, including immunity from search and seizure, and that its property and assets are immune from legal proceedings.
The Jerusalem Governorate stated that heavily armed Israeli occupation forces stormed the UNRWA headquarters in the early morning hours, detaining security personnel and confiscating their phones. This led to a complete communications blackout, making it impossible to ascertain what was happening inside the building. The area was sealed off, and occupation forces conducted extensive searches of all facilities within the building.
In a statement, the Governorate condemned the raid on the UNRWA headquarters as a violation of international law and an infringement upon the sanctity of United Nations institutions. It also constituted a breach of the UN Charter, the conditions of its membership, and its resolutions, particularly Security Council Resolution 2730, which obligates states to respect and protect UN institutions and humanitarian personnel. This applies directly to UNRWA, its facilities, and its staff.
The Governorate explained that this raid is part of a series of attacks carried out by settlers and members of the Israeli Knesset. This follows the occupation government's decision to ban UNRWA's work in East Jerusalem on January 30, which led to the departure of international staff from the city due to the expiration of their Israeli permits, while local staff were not present at the agency's headquarters during the raid.
