Israeli forces executed a significant raid on the Qalandiya Training Centre, a key facility operated by the United Nations Relief and Work Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), located in Kafr Aqab, within the occupied East Jerusalem territories. Prior to this operation, Israeli forces closed the nearby Qalandiya checkpoint, deploying heavy military forces throughout the surrounding neighbourhoods and the adjacent Qalandiya refugee camp. Troops forcibly expelled all UNRWA employees from the site, instructing them not to return, and initiated operations to evacuate the complex. Far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir participated in the raid, praising the operation and asserting that authorities had initiated an ‘operation to evacuate the building’ and asserting that ‘there is no place for the agency in Jerusalem and Israel.’
The raid followed the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs announcing that the Jerusalem Municipality would transform the property into a new educational and community complex, designated as a ‘new educational and community complex.’ The Ministry claimed this project would serve thousands of Palestinian residents in Kafr Aqab, with planned facilities including additional schools, a mosque, sports grounds, and health centres.
The ministry invoked anti-UNRWA legislation passed by the Israeli Knesset in October 2024, banning the agency’s activities in Israel, to justify the takeover. UNRWA, however, vehemently rejects these claims, maintaining that the Qalandiya Training Centre is a UN facility and is protected under international law.
Following the raid, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the Jerusalem Municipality had already commenced work to transform the property into a new educational and community complex, a move that has drawn criticism from human rights groups and legal experts.
The Foreign Ministry directly cited anti-UNRWA legislation, passed by the Israeli Knesset, to justify the takeover, emphasizing the agency’s perceived threat to Israeli security and the established territorial integrity of Jerusalem and Israel. Israeli officials allege that the site had been owned by the Jewish National Fund since 1937 and had been allocated to the Jerusalem Municipality for the project, arguing that UNRWA had fenced off the land for decades without legal ownership rights. The Foreign Ministry directly cited this justification in its statement, referencing the advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice in December 2025, which explicitly stated that the agency’s activities in Israel are unlawful.
UNRWA, however, firmly rejects these claims, maintaining that the Qalandiya Training Centre is a UN facility and is protected under international law. Reporting from Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, journalist Sarah Abu Alrob highlighted the severe human impact of the decision. She noted that the centre provided vital services to 16,000 Palestinian refugees who are either in the Qalandiya refugee camp or who visit from across the occupied West Bank. She said the raid follows a similar operation months ago, when Israeli forces raided the UNRWA headquarters in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of occupied East Jerusalem, where they evacuated the premises and demolished part of the building’s structure. “This comes within a larger campaign where the Israeli government has been calling to dismantle the UNRWA organisation that provides educational, medical and social services to Palestinian refugees who are still in the occupied West Bank,” Alrob said. She emphasised the critical role that UNRWA plays on the ground during this crisis, noting that the centre’s services are essential for Palestinian refugees in the occupied West Bank and Gaza, and that the raid directly threatens the safety and well-being of these vulnerable populations.
Human rights advocates and legal experts have condemned the action. Mohammad Dahleh, a lawyer and human rights advocate from occupied East Jerusalem, described the takeover as a direct breach of international law, stating that it is a clear violation of international law and a violation of the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice, the highest court in the world, just in December 2025, which held the ruling that the agency’s activities in Israel are unlawful. Dahleh emphasized the critical role that UNRWA plays on the ground during this crisis. “It’s a clear violation of international law, and it’s a clear violation of the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice, or about the criticism that many countries have against these actions, especially in a period where Palestinian refugees are so vulnerable.” Dahleh emphasised the critical role that UNRWA plays on the ground during this crisis, highlighting the agency’s services are essential for Palestinian refugees in the occupied West Bank and Gaza, and that the raid directly threatens the safety and well-being of these vulnerable populations.
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Source: Al Jazeera
