Eleven key nations have issued a sharp rebuke against the Israeli government following the destruction of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) headquarters in East Jerusalem. In a unified statement released Wednesday, foreign ministers from Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Norway, Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom characterized the action as an "unprecedented act" against a UN entity, demanding an immediate halt to all such demolitions.
The incident marks the latest significant escalation in what observers term an intensified pressure campaign by Israel against UNRWA, the central body responsible for delivering critical aid and services to Palestinian refugees across the Middle East, particularly amidst the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
This move occurs while Israel continues to leverage allegations—unsubstantiated by concrete evidence—linking UNRWA to Hamas to restrict its operational capacity within the besieged enclave. Humanitarian organizations maintain that UNRWA remains the best-equipped entity to manage the complex logistics of distributing essential supplies in war-ravaged Gaza.
UNRWA Chief Philippe Lazzarini decried the demolition as an attack on UN premises, asserting that Israel, as a UN Member State, is obligated under international law to respect their inviolability. Lazzarini further argued that these restrictive actions contravene the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) October 2025 ruling, which explicitly mandated Israel to facilitate, not hinder, UN relief operations.
In their joint declaration, the eleven foreign ministers reaffirmed their "full support for UNRWA’s indispensable mission" to provide healthcare and education across the occupied Palestinian territories. They stressed that the agency must be allowed to operate without restriction to meet the massive humanitarian deficit in Gaza, where casualty figures continue to rise.
Furthermore, the statement called on Israel to significantly ease access for aid convoys. Despite a US-brokered ceasefire agreement stipulating the daily entry of 600 aid trucks, adherence remains inconsistent, leaving conditions dire for the civilian population. Under international law, Israel, as the occupying power in Gaza, bears the primary obligation for ensuring the needs of the occupied population are met.
This diplomatic rift underscores the growing divergence between Israel and several key Western allies regarding the management of the humanitarian catastrophe and the future role of UNRWA in regional stability. (Source: Al Jazeera analysis based on joint ministerial statements.)