'War crime': Israeli forces raid, seize UNRWA training center in al-Quds

Israeli forces have raided a key training facility operated by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) in Eastern al-Quds, prompting concerns over the future of the agency’s operations in the occupied territories.

Israeli forces forcibly entered the Kalandia Training Centre (KTC) on Tuesday morning, according to a UNRWA statement.

It said at least four armored vehicles entered the UN premises, accompanied by more than 50 Israeli forces, while around 20 UNRWA staff members were on site.

Israeli officials subsequently made public statements indicating that the premises had been seized by the regime’s authorities.

UNRWA vehemently condemned the “unauthorized and deeply concerning incursion” into the training center, stressing that the entry of armed forces into a UN facility without UN authorization or consent was unacceptable.

“The KTC is a United Nations facility protected by the privileges and immunities afforded to the Organization under international law. Its inviolability must be fully respected,” the agency said.

UNRWA said the KTC is its oldest vocational training center and has provided vocational education to Palestine Refugees for more than seven decades.

“Thousands of Palestine Refugees have graduated from the KTC and gone on to contribute to local and regional labor markets,” the agency said, adding that the facility provides hundreds of students from refugee camps across the occupied West Bank with free vocational training each year.

The students, many of whom face severe socio-economic hardship, are given opportunities to acquire skills that can help them achieve greater economic independence.

“Any attempt to take possession of, interfere with, or otherwise undermine the functioning of a UNRWA facility strikes at the ability of the United Nations to carry out its mandate,” UNRWA said.

Israeli occupation forces raid UNRWA training center near East al-Quds, detain staff

Israeli occupation forces have raided the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) Qalandia Training Center in the Qalandia refugee camp, north of occupied East al-Quds.

The agency said it would continue to insist on the protection of its premises, personnel and operations and on respect for the privileges and immunities accorded to the United Nations under international law.

UNRWA also called on the international community to “act immediately and decisively” to safeguard the Kalandia Training Centre and all other UN facilities in occupied East al-Quds.

“The international community must ensure that United Nations premises are protected from unauthorized entry and seizure, and that UNRWA can continue delivering essential services to Palestine Refugee communities without intimidation, obstruction or interference,” it said.

Meanwhile, Hamas Political Bureau member Basem Naim condemned the demolition of the UNRWA building as a "war crime and a blatant violation of international law."

Naim said the absence of punitive measures and the international community’s reliance on statements alone amounted to complicity in the commission of such a crime.

Israel’s far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who also took part in the raid on the KTC, said in a statement that Israeli forces “are working together with the relevant authorities to realize the law and get UNRWA out of the area.”

“We have begun evacuating the UNRWA building in Jerusalem (al-Quds). Sovereignty is not just words; it is action,” Ben-Gvir said.

The Tuesday raid follows a similar incursion months ago, when Israeli forces raided UNRWA headquarters in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of occupied East al-Quds, evacuated the premises and demolished part of the building’s structure.

Human rights advocates and legal experts have condemned the raid, warning that the actions against UNRWA come at a time when Palestinian refugees are particularly dependent on the agency’s assistance in both the occupied Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank.

In January, Israeli forces demolished the agency’s headquarters in occupied East al-Quds, following legislation passed by the Knesset (the regime's parliament) in October 2024 banning UNRWA from operating in Israel and occupied East al-Quds.

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