UNRWA chief says Israel forces damaged Agency's West Bank office; Israel disputes claim

Israeli bulldozers damaged the office of UN aid agency, UNRWA, in the West Bank’s Nur Shams Camp on Thursday, the Agency’s chief said, with Israel disputing his account in the latest exchange between both sides, Reuters reports.

Philippe Lazzarini, who heads the UN Palestinian refugee agency, said on social media platform X that the office was severely damaged and was no longer usable.

The Israeli military, however, issued a statement denying responsibility for any damage to the building.

“The claim that the UNRWA offices in Nur Shams were destroyed by IDF soldiers is false,” the statement read, in reference to Israel Defence Forces.

“Terrorists planted explosives in the proximity of the UNRWA offices that were then detonated in an attempt to harm IDF soldiers. The explosives likely caused damage to the structure,” the IDF statement said.

On Monday, Israel passed a law banning UNRWA from operating in the country, legislation that could impact its work in war-torn Gaza.

READ: UNICEF warns of ‘deadly’ effect on Palestinian children after Israel ban on UNRWA

The lawmakers who drafted the law cited what they described as the involvement of some UNRWA staffers in the 7 October, 2023, attack on southern Israel and staffers having membership in Hamas and other armed groups.

The UN, after an investigation, said in August that nine UNRWA staff were possibly involved in the 7 October attacks and fired them. UNRWA says the overwhelming majority of its staff adheres to its principles of neutrality.

Israel has repeatedly equated UNRWA staff with Hamas members in efforts to discredit them, providing no proof of the claims, while lobbying hard to have UNRWA closed as it is the only UN agency to have a specific mandate to look after the basic needs of Palestinian refugees. If the agency no longer exists, argues Israel, then the refugee issue must no longer exist, and the legitimate right for Palestinian refugees to return to their land will be unnecessary. Israel has denied that right of return since the late 1940s, even though its own membership of the UN was made conditional upon Palestinian refugees being allowed to return to their homes and land.

Lazzarini called the vote to ban UNRWA a “dangerous precedent” that opposes the UN charter and violates Israel’s obligation under international law. Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said UNRWA workers “involved in terrorist activities” must be held accountable.

OPINION: Israel forced the world to create UNRWA; now it wants UNRWA dead