The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has issued a stark warning after Israeli officials publicly celebrated the storming and destruction of a United Nations compound in occupied East Jerusalem.

In a statement posted on his official X account, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini described the moment as a profound moral collapse.

“A lost moral compass opens a barbaric new era,” Lazzarini wrote, denouncing what he said was open competition among Israeli officials to claim responsibility for the attack on UN premises.

He warned that such acts go far beyond political rhetoric and signal a dangerous shift in behavior toward international institutions.

Lazzarini said the situation had escalated further with calls targeting UN personnel themselves.

He noted that “others call for the annihilation of an entire community of UNRWA staff,” describing this as an unprecedented and alarming development.

“These statements from officials of a Member State cannot be tolerated by the Member States sworn to the UN Charter,” the UNRWA chief stressed.

Calling for accountability, Lazzarini urged decisive international action.

“These actions must be referred to the highest level and fought against,” he added, warning that failure to respond would undermine the foundations of international law and the protection afforded to UN institutions and staff worldwide.