UNRWA Warns of Approaching End of Its Presence in Occupied Jerusalem Due to Israeli Practices

SadaNews - The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has warned of the "approaching end of its longstanding presence" in occupied Jerusalem, due to what it described as "shameful" actions by Israel.

It confirmed that Israel's actions are "part of a continuous campaign aimed at preventing UNRWA from carrying out its mandate as granted by the UN General Assembly in occupied East Jerusalem, which is not under Israeli sovereignty."

The Director of UNRWA in occupied West Bank, Roland Friedrich, stated in a post on the "X" platform that "in a shameful move, Israeli security forces violently stormed the UNRWA health center in Jerusalem on Monday, demanding the removal of UN signs. This health center has received support from member states for decades and has been visited by many of them."

He added, "Following this storming, a temporary closure order was issued for the health center for thirty days, and it may never reopen."

The health center is located within the Old City of East Jerusalem.

Friedrich warned that "all of this heralds a rapid diminishing of the United Nations' presence in occupied East Jerusalem."

He continued: "Simultaneously, UNRWA has received notices from service providers indicating an imminent cut-off of electricity and water supply to several facilities across East Jerusalem, including schools, health centers, and other essential service points."

He added, "Humanitarian services cannot operate without electricity and water."

Friedrich noted that "these developments come following amendments made in December 2025 to Knesset laws aimed against UNRWA."

At the end of 2025, the Knesset approved a bill to cut electricity and water supplies to UNRWA offices, triggering widespread international condemnation and criticism.

In October 2024, the Knesset definitively approved a ban on UNRWA's activities in Israel, under the pretext that some of its employees participated in the events of October 7, 2023, a claim denied by the United Nations, reaffirming the agency's neutrality.

Friedrich said, "These shameful decisions are part of a continuous campaign by Israeli authorities to prevent UNRWA from executing its mandate granted by the UN General Assembly in occupied East Jerusalem, which is not under Israeli sovereignty."

He added, "The application of Israeli law there is illegal."

Friedrich also pointed out that "the International Court of Justice ruled in October 2025 that Israel is obliged to facilitate relief operations provided by UNRWA, yet the current measures represent the complete opposite."

He warned that "if these amendments are implemented, they signal the approaching end of UNRWA's operational presence in East Jerusalem, which has lasted for decades."

Israel had closed the agency's main headquarters in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem at the beginning of last year. It has also warned of closing six schools run by the agency across East Jerusalem.

UNRWA, UNRWA institutions in Jerusalem, UNRWA schools in Jerusalem, Israel, United Nations.