The United Nations Palestine Refugee Agency (UNRWA) said on Sunday that its partially demolished headquarters in East Jerusalem had been set on fire. The agency did not specify the cause of the incident at its facility, which Israeli authorities seized and began demolishing last week, after Israel banned its operations in the country in 2025.
– After the Israeli authorities stormed and demolished the UNRWA headquarters in occupied East Jerusalem, it has now been set on fire – the agency stated in a statement. She described the fire as part of a “continuous attempt to abolish the status of Palestinian refugees.”
The fire service confirmed early on Sunday that it intervened in the building, working to extinguish the fire and prevent its spread, without specifying the cause.
The United Nations condemned the seizure and demolition of the facility, and UNRWA emphasized that its property remains protected by UN privileges and immunities, which it reiterated on Sunday.
– Like any UN member state anywhere in the world, without exception, Israel is legally obliged to protect and respect UN facilities – UNRWA spokesman Jonathan Fowler told AFP.
UNRWA was established for the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians displaced by the creation of Israel in 1948, and provides refugee registration and health and education services.
UNRWA’s headquarters in annexed East Jerusalem have been empty since January 2025, when a law banning its work took effect.
Israel accuses UNRWA of providing cover for Hamas militants, but investigations have not produced conclusive evidence. UNRWA continues to operate in the occupied West Bank and Gaza.
(Vijesti.ba)
