Eleven countries condemned Israel’s destruction of the East Jerusalem headquarters of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, saying it “represents the latest unacceptable move to undermine” UNRWA’s work.
The foreign ministers of Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Norway, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom condemned the destruction in a joint statement Wednesday, calling it an “unprecedented act” against the United Nations agency.
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“We call on the government of Israel, a member state of the United Nations, to stop all acts of destruction,” they said.
Israel has stepped up its pressure campaign against UNRWA, which provides aid and services to Palestinian refugees across the Middle East, amid its genocidal war against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Without concrete evidence, the Israeli government and its allies, including the United States, have accused UNRWA of having ties to Hamas, a claim the United Nations rejects.
Despite humanitarian leaders pointing out that UNRWA is best equipped to distribute food, water, medicine, and other critical humanitarian aid to the war-torn enclave, Israel is using these claims to seek to limit UNRWA’s ability to operate in the Gaza Strip.
In late 2024, Israel’s parliament passed a law banning UNRWA from operating in areas under Israeli control.
Israeli parliamentarians approved an amendment in December to strengthen that ban, drawing condemnation from UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
UNRWA reported last week that Israeli forces, under the watchful eye of Israeli lawmakers, stormed its headquarters in east Jerusalem and began destroying the building.
“This is an unprecedented attack on a United Nations agency and its facilities,” UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said on social media.
“Like all United Nations members and nations committed to the international rules-based order, Israel has an obligation to protect and respect the inviolability of United Nations facilities.”
Lazzarini said Israel’s anti-UNRWA movement “ignores” an October 2025 ruling by the International Court of Justice, which said Israel has an obligation under international law to lift restrictions on UNRWA’s operations and facilitate its activities.
“handThe United Nations is “UNRWA is an essential provider of humanitarian relief in the Gaza Strip,” the court said in its judgment (PDF).
Therefore, it said, “Israel has an obligation to accede to and facilitate redress plans provided by the United Nations and its agencies, including UNRWA.”
Call for aid to Gaza
In a statement on Wednesday, foreign ministers from 11 countries reiterated their “full support for UNRWA’s essential mission” to provide services and humanitarian assistance in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem.
“UNRWA is a service provider providing health care and education to millions of Palestinians across the region, particularly in the Gaza Strip, and must be able to operate without restrictions,” they said.
The ministers also called on Israel to expedite the delivery of aid to Gaza, where at least 71,660 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks since October 2023.
“Despite increasing aid flowing into Gaza, the situation remains dire and supplies are insufficient for the needs of the population,” the statement said.
As the occupying power of the Gaza Strip, Israel has an obligation under international law to ensure that the needs of the occupied population are met.
The Israeli government also agreed to allow 600 humanitarian aid trucks to flow into the Palestinian territory each day under a U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement that took effect in October. However, China has not adhered to the principles of the agreement.
At least 492 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks since the start of the ceasefire, according to the latest statistics from the enclave’s health ministry.
