Israel bulldozes UNRWA buildings in occupied East Jerusalem

The demolition comes arsenic Israel clamps down connected NGOs providing humanitarian assistance to Palestinians successful Gaza.

Israel has begun bulldozing the office of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) successful occupied East Jerusalem arsenic the far-right authorities clamps down heavy connected humanitarian groups that supply desperately needed assistance to Palestinians successful Gaza.

UNRWA said connected X connected Tuesday that Israeli forces had confiscated unit devices and forced them retired of their office successful the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood.

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“This is an unprecedented onslaught not lone against UNRWA and its premises. It constitutes a superior usurpation of planetary instrumentality and the privileges and immunities of the United Nations,” it said.

Local sources reported that an Israeli service force, accompanied by bulldozers, stormed the agency’s compound aft sealing disconnected the surrounding streets and intensifying its subject beingness successful the area, and proceeded to demolish structures wrong the compound, according to the Wafa quality agency.

Israel has repeatedly attacked UNRWA for what it presumption pro-Palestinian leanings and accused the radical of ties to Hamas, without providing grounds and which the UN bureau has vehemently denied.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry said the demolition was pursuing done connected a caller instrumentality that banned the organization,

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said successful a connection that helium had accompanied crews to the office and called it a “historic day.”

Israel has faced global condemnation aft a prohibition connected dozens of planetary assistance organisations moving to supply life-saving assistance to Palestinians successful the war-ravaged Gaza Strip came into effect weeks ago.

Israel has revoked the operating licences of 37 assistance groups, including Doctors Without Borders, known by its French initials MSF, and the Norwegian Refugee Council, for failing to comply with caller authorities regulations.

The caller rules necessitate planetary NGOs moving successful Gaza and the occupied West Bank to supply elaborate accusation connected unit members, arsenic good arsenic their backing and operations.

Last week, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that helium could instrumentality his state to the International Court of Justice if it does not repeal laws targeting the UN Palestinian exile agency (UNRWA) and instrumentality its seized assets and property.

In a January 8 missive to Netanyahu, Guterres said the UN cannot stay indifferent to “actions taken by Israel, which are successful nonstop contravention of the obligations of Israel nether planetary law. They indispensable beryllium reversed without delay.”

Israel’s parliament passed a instrumentality successful October 2024 banning UNRWA from operating successful Israel and prohibiting Israeli officials from having interaction with the agency. It past amended the instrumentality past period to prohibition energy oregon h2o to UNRWA facilities.

Israeli authorities besides seized UNRWA’s occupied East Jerusalem offices past month. The UN considers East Jerusalem occupied by Israel. Israel considers each of Jerusalem to beryllium portion of the country.