The spokesperson for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Adnan Abu-Hasna, condemned Israel’s raid on the agency’s headquarters in East Jerusalem, calling it “a real wake-up call for the entire international community.”He emphasized that this represents a dangerous defiance of international law. He added that the raid on the UNRWA headquarters is part of a broader context of measures taken by the Israeli authorities in recent months, aimed at undermining the agency’s work and erasing the identity of Palestinian refugees, particularly in East Jerusalem. This systematic policy targets the UN and humanitarian presence in the occupied territories, Abu-Hasna said. “This would almost completely disrupt its ability to continue providing vital services to hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees”, Abu-Hasna warned. UNRWA slams Israel’s actionsThe Commissioner-General of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, condemned Israel’s demolition of UNRWA buildings in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of Jerusalem, calling it an “unprecedented challenge” and emphasizing that Israel is obligated to protect and respect the inviolability of UN premises.

Source: Egypt Independent January 21, 2026 08:41 UTC