The recent Israeli occupation of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) offices in Jerusalem represents a serious escalation in the ongoing targeted campaign to undermine the Agency’s mandate, obstruct its operations, and erode the protections afforded to UN institutions under international law. This action constitutes a direct violation of the inviolability of United Nations premises, as established in the 1946 Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations, which stipulates that UN property, assets, and offices are immune from interference of any kind by state authorities. Israel’s forcible entry into and seizure of UNRWA facilities is therefore an attack on the international legal order.

UNRWA’s presence in Jerusalem is essential to its ability to carry out its humanitarian mission across the occupied Palestinian territory. By occupying its premises, Israel disrupts critical services upon which hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees. This interference further exacerbates a context already defined by systematic restrictions, funding cuts, disinformation campaigns, and political pressure aimed at dismantling the Agency altogether. The timing of this action, amid an ongoing genocide in Gaza, amplifies its political intent and its harmful effects.

The occupation of UNRWA offices must also be understood within the broader pattern of Israel’s efforts to delegitimize the Agency and constrain international oversight of its actions in the occupied territory. Allowing such violations to proceed unchecked sets a dangerous precedent for states seeking to interfere with the work of UN agencies elsewhere.

The international community–including UN member states, donor governments, and human rights bodies–must unequivocally condemn this unlawful occupation and demand the immediate restoration of full UNRWA control over its facilities. Member states must insist on Israel’s full adherence to its legal obligations and ensure that the inviolability of UN premises is respected without exception. Moreover, governments must reaffirm their political and financial support for UNRWA at a time when its operations are indispensable to Palestinian survival and regional stability.

Failure to respond decisively risks normalizing attacks on UN institutions, weakening the international system, and further enabling the erosion of humanitarian space in one of the world’s most protracted military occupations. The invasion of UNRWA offices in Jerusalem is unacceptable and be reversed immediately. States must act collectively to safeguard the integrity and independence of the United Nations and the rights of the Palestinian people it exists to protect.