Overview
- UNRWA said Israeli forces stormed the complex shortly after 7 a.m. and expelled security staff, as AFP witnessed bulldozers razing at least one building under an Israeli flag with politicians present.
- UNRWA and the UN Secretary-General condemned the operation as an unprecedented attack and a grave breach of international law, with António Guterres urging Israel to stop the demolition immediately.
- Israel’s Foreign Ministry framed the seizure as enforcement of existing "UNRWA-Hamas" legislation and asserted the action accords with Israeli and international law.
- The East Jerusalem compound has been largely vacant since Israel banned UNRWA operations a year ago, and the agency says it has leased the site from Jordan continuously since 1952.
- Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the Palestinian Authority issued condemnations, while Internal Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir lauded the move as "a historic day" and UNRWA warned it could foreshadow a bid to take the land for settlements.