UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday condemned Israel for demolishing the Jerusalem compound of UNRWA, the UN agency for “Palestinian refugees".
The condemnation prompted the spokesman of Israel’s Foreign Ministry to point out the direct and proven connection between UNRWA and Hamas terrorists.
Guterres’s deputy spokesperson, Farhan Haq, said in a statement that the UN chief “condemns in the strongest terms the Israeli authorities’ actions to demolish the UNRWA Sheikh Jarrah compound. As he has repeatedly and unequivocally stated, including in his letter to the Prime Minister of Israel on 8 January 2026, the Sheikh Jarrah compound remains United Nations premises, and is inviolable and immune from any form of interference."
“The Secretary-General views as wholly unacceptable the continued escalatory actions against UNRWA, which are inconsistent with Israel’s clear obligations under international law, including under the Charter of the United Nations and the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations," added the statement.
It further said that Guterres “urges the Government of Israel to immediately cease the demolition of the UNRWA Sheikh Jarrah compound, and to return and restore the compound and other UNRWA premises to the United Nations without delay."
In response, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein reposted the condemnation on social media, attaching a video documenting Hamas terrorist Mohammad Marwan Abu Itiwi taking Israeli hostages on October 7, 2023, together with a screenshot of an UNRWA list showing that Itiwi was an UNRWA driver, together with his employee number.
“Was this your UNRWA Employee of the Month?" wrote Marmorstein.
The Knesset passed legislation in October 2024 banning UNRWA from operating in the country and prohibiting officials from contacting the agency. The law was amended last month to bar electricity and water from being supplied to UNRWA facilities. Israeli authorities also seized the agency’s eastern Jerusalem offices.
Guterres warned Israel earlier in the month that he may refer the country to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) if it does not repeal recent laws targeting UNRWA.
The warning was delivered in a January 8 letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In it, Guterres wrote that the United Nations cannot ignore “actions taken by Israel, which are in direct contravention of the obligations of Israel under international law. They must be reversed without delay."
UNRWA has long been criticized for its cooperation with the Hamas terrorist organization, which has been proven time and time again. That criticism has increased since Israel provided evidence in 2024 that UNRWA staff participated in the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks.
Following the Israeli revelations, the UN formed a review group, headed by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, to look into the Israeli allegations.
The group said in its report that it found neutrality-related issues" in UNRWA but also claimed that Israel had yet to provide evidence for allegations that a significant number of its staff were members of terrorist organizations.
Emily Damari, a former Hamas hostage who was freed after 470 days in captivity, said that she was held at an UNRWA facility.
In April 2025, USAID revealed that the United Nations obstructed an investigation by the American government into the ties between UNRWA employees in Gaza and the Hamas terrorist organization.
Despite all the evidence showing UNRWA’s deep ties to Hamas, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) recently ruled that Israel must facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip through UN agencies, including UNRWA. That ruling was criticized by Israel as well as by the US.