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Israeli forces have raided and shuttered the Qalandia Training Centre, the final Unrwa installation still functioning in occupied East Jerusalem, drawing sharp criticism from the United Nations. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed deep alarm at the operation, which his spokesman said violated the international legal principle that all UN premises must remain free from interference by any state authority.
The raid unfolded on Tuesday with a heavy security presence, and it was notably publicized by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who brought along a camera crew from the pro-government Channel 14. In footage he shared online, Ben-Gvir seated himself at the institute director's desk and declared that Unrwa would no longer operate there. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that he had personally ordered the evacuation of the compound.
Established in 1952, the centre offered vocational training to roughly 340 Palestinians annually, teaching trades such as carpentry, plumbing and vehicle repair. Although situated within East Jerusalem's municipal boundaries, its position between the Qalandia and Kfar Aqab neighborhoods—on the far side of Israel's separation barrier—made it reachable for young Palestinians from refugee camps throughout the West Bank. Staff have now been expelled from the site, and Israeli officials say equipment is being cleared out so part of the campus can be converted into a school.
Unrwa denounced the entry of armed personnel into one of its installations without UN consent, describing the action as unacceptable and deeply troubling. The closure is the culmination of Israeli legislation enacted last year that prohibits the agency from working anywhere within what Israel considers its territory—a definition that encompasses East Jerusalem, annexed after the 1967 war in a step most countries do not recognize. The same law also forbids any Israeli state body from maintaining contact with Unrwa. Six Unrwa schools in East Jerusalem were previously ordered shut, cutting off classroom instruction for about 800 children.
Israeli leaders have justified their campaign against the agency by alleging employee involvement in the Hamas-led assault of October 7, 2023, which killed around 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage. Israeli intelligence asserted that at least 19 staff members participated in the attack, but a UN inquiry found indications of possible involvement in only nine cases, leading to those employees' dismissal; investigators concluded the remaining claims lacked adequate support. Israel has also charged that a tenth of Unrwa's Gaza workforce maintained ties to armed groups and that its facilities served military purposes—allegations the agency says were never backed by evidence provided to it.
The Palestinian Authority's foreign ministry urged governments worldwide to act swiftly to safeguard the college, restore its personnel, and stop Israel from cementing the takeover as an irreversible reality.
Unrwa was created to assist the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians displaced during the conflict surrounding Israel's founding in 1948, and today serves more than 900,000 registered refugees across the West Bank with schooling, medical care and other essential services. Many Palestinians regard Israel's escalating actions against the organization as an effort to erase the refugee question—and the long-disputed right of return—from the agenda of any future peace settlement.
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