Azernews.Az

The United Nations has accused Israel of "an unprecedented attack" after diggers started demolition work at a compound used for decades by UNRWA, the UN agency that provides support to Palestinian refugees, Azernews reports citing Sky.

Heavy machinery smashed through structures on the site, including a former barracks building, as part of a plan to level the compound and eventually turn it into a new Israeli settlement.

Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel's uncompromising national security minister, visited the site during the demolition work and was clearly proud of what was being done, describing it as "a very important day for the governance in Jerusalem".

He went on to claim that United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) staff were "supporters of terror".

The Israeli government has long alleged that the agency was "infested" with members of Hamas, including some who participated in the devastating attacks on 7 October 2023.

UNRWA has always denied any systemic link to Hamas, and says it has investigated all alleged wrongdoing. In a statement, it said the demolition was "a new level of open and deliberate defiance of international law".

The site, in East Jerusalem, had been used by UNRWA since 1951, shortly after the agency was first established.

However, Israel introduced legislation in 2024 to ban UNRWA's operations, leading to staff leaving the compound, which includes a series of buildings, a year ago.

The ban is widely contested outside Israel as a breach of both international law and the UN charter, which dictates that member states must work with UN agencies and respect their premises.