The Israel Land Authority, together with law enforcement, began on Tuesday to demolish the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) compound in Jerusalem after a law was passed prohibiting the organization from operating in Israel.
Heavy engineering vehicles were filmed demolishing structures in the Ammunition Hill neighborhood compound.
MK Yulia Malinovsky (Yisrael Beytenu), who initiated the bill to outlaw UNRWA, was present during the demolition and stated, "UNRWA's terror headquarters in Ammunition Hill was removed this morning, and at this moment, it is being destroyed before the State of Israel takes over the land. This is happening thanks to the laws that I initiated to remove UNRWA from Israel."
The Israeli Foreign Ministry explained the move: "The State of Israel owns the Jerusalem compound in which the Israel Land Authority is operating today. Even prior to the passage of legislation in January 2025, UNRWA had already ceased its operations at this site and no longer had any UN personnel or UN activity there. The compound does not enjoy any immunity, and the seizure of this compound by Israeli authorities was carried out in accordance with both Israeli and international law."
The Ministry stressed that the move does not constitute a new policy, but rather the implementation of existing Israeli legislation concerning UNRWA.
According to the Foreign Ministry, "UNRWA employees participated in the October 7th massacre and the kidnapping of Israelis. Numerous employees within the organization are Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists, and the organization’s infrastructure has been used for tunnel construction, rocket fire, and terrorist activities. UNRWA-Hamas has long ceased to be a humanitarian aid organization, serving instead as a greenhouse for terrorism."