United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. AFP
Guterres said Israeli authorities entered the compound without permission, stressing that it “remains United Nations premises and is inviolable and immune from any other form of interference.”
He said the raid violates Israel’s obligations under the UN Charter and the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations. The International Court of Justice (ICJ), he noted, recently affirmed that “any executive, administrative, judicial or legislative action against United Nations property and assets is prohibited.”
“I urge Israel to immediately take all necessary steps to restore, preserve and uphold the inviolability of UNRWA premises and to refrain from taking any further action,” he said.
UNRWA: Israeli forces removed UN flag, seized equipment
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said Israeli police, accompanied by Jerusalem municipal officials, entered the compound at dawn, cut communications and brought in motorcycles, trucks and forklifts to remove furniture, IT systems and other UN property.
“The UN flag was pulled down and replaced with an Israeli flag,” he said, calling the incursion “a blatant disregard of Israel’s obligation… to protect and respect the inviolability of UN premises.”
Lazzarini said UN staff vacated the compound earlier this year after arson attacks, intimidation, and a broader disinformation campaign targeting the agency. Israel’s parliament has also passed legislation restricting UNRWA’s work in the city, which the agency says violates international law.
He stressed that the site “retains its status as a UN premises,” immune from search or seizure. Allowing such actions, he warned, “creates a dangerous precedent anywhere else the UN is present across the world.”
Palestinian officials denounce ‘grave violation’
Rawhi Fattouh, president of the Palestinian National Council, called the raid a dangerous attack on UN institutions and a violation of UN Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 2730, which obliges states to protect UN bodies and humanitarian workers.
He said Israeli forces conducted extensive searches, detained security guards, confiscated their phones, and sealed the surrounding area, actions he described as a breach of the UN Charter and of the legal status of occupied East Jerusalem. He stressed that the city remains under occupation and “the presence of the occupying power’s forces on the ground does not give their action legitimacy.”
Dawn raid and full closure
Israeli forces stormed the compound early Monday, carrying out searches throughout the site. The Jerusalem governorate said police arrived at dawn, detained guards, and cut all communications, leaving observers unable to determine what was happening inside.
Troops sealed off the surrounding area as they searched the premises. The raid followed months of attacks by settlers and Israeli politicians, as well as the enforcement of a government decision banning UNRWA’s operations in East Jerusalem on 30 January.
That decision led international staff to leave the city after their Israeli permits expired. No local employees were inside the compound during the raid.
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