Condemnation as Israel raids UNRWA HQ in East Jerusalem, removes UN flag

The agency’s commissioner-general condemns raid as a direct violation of international law.Published On 8 Dec 2025Israeli forces have raided the headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in occupied East Jerusalem, seizing items and replacing the UN flag with Israel’s flag.In a statement on X, the agency’s commissioner-general, Philippe Lazzarini, said Israeli police, accompanied by municipal officials, forcibly entered its compound in Sheikh Jarrah early on Monday morning.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Syria’s Prison of Secrets: The Search for Sednaya’s Missinglist 2 of 4How US pressure is squeezing Venezuela’s already fragile economylist 3 of 4After el-Fasher, we must refuse a ‘new normal’ of mass atrocities in Darfurlist 4 of 4RSF seizes key Heglig oilfield as it pushes to expand control in Sudanend of list“Police motorcycles, as well as trucks and forklifts, were brought in and all communications were cut. Furniture, IT equipment and other property was seized,” he said. “The UN flag was pulled down and replaced with an Israeli flag.”UNRWA has not used the building since the beginning of the year after Israeli authorities ordered the agency to vacate all of its premises and halt operations inside Israel.Lazzarini said this follows “months of harassment that included arson attacks in 2024, hateful demonstrations and intimidation, supported by a large-scale disinformation campaign, as well as anti-UNRWA legislation passed by the Israeli parliament in breach of its international obligations”.Israel barred UNRWA from operating on its soil after claiming some employees had participated in the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. UNRWA denied the allegations, while in October the International Court of Justice (ICJ) found that Israel’s allegations against UNRWA were unsubstantiated.Still, Israel’s claims prompted the United States, historically UNRWA’s largest donor, to suspend funding.UNRWA was forced to repatriate its international staff from Gaza and the occupied West Bank, severely limiting aid distribution at a time when Palestinians are facing extreme shortages of food and shelter amid Israel’s genocidal war on the Gaza Strip.