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Israel Approves Military Complex on Former UNRWA Site in East Jerusalem
(MENAFN) Reports indicate that Israel has approved plans to construct a new Israel Defense Forces (IDF) compound on the site of the former UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) headquarters in East Jerusalem, following an announcement by Defense Minister Israel Katz.
Israeli authorities have previously accused UNRWA of links with Hamas in connection with the October 7, 2023 attacks. Following these allegations, Israeli forces took control of and partially demolished the UNRWA facility in 2024 after legislative measures were passed restricting the agency’s operations in areas under Israeli administration.
Officials later signed an agreement with the Jerusalem municipality to establish a new defense headquarters in the city and relocate several military education institutions to the area. According to local media reports, the planned complex will span approximately nine acres near Ammunition Hill and is expected to include an IDF museum, recruitment centers, and offices for senior defense officials.
Defense Minister Israel Katz described the project as “a decision of sovereignty, Zionism and security,” adding that there was “nothing more symbolic or just” than building defense infrastructure “on the ruins of the UNRWA compound,” which was originally established to assist Palestinians displaced during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.
UNRWA leadership condemned the destruction of its premises, calling it “a new level of open and deliberate defiance of international law.”
While the United Nations has denied allegations of institutional involvement with Hamas, UNRWA stated following an internal review in 2024 that evidence suggested a small number of its staff “may have been involved in the attacks of October 7.”
The agency continues to operate schools, health centers, and humanitarian programs for Palestinian refugees across multiple regions, including Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria. According to United Nations figures, large-scale displacement in Gaza has left millions affected since the escalation of conflict, with humanitarian conditions remaining severe.
Israeli authorities have previously accused UNRWA of links with Hamas in connection with the October 7, 2023 attacks. Following these allegations, Israeli forces took control of and partially demolished the UNRWA facility in 2024 after legislative measures were passed restricting the agency’s operations in areas under Israeli administration.
Officials later signed an agreement with the Jerusalem municipality to establish a new defense headquarters in the city and relocate several military education institutions to the area. According to local media reports, the planned complex will span approximately nine acres near Ammunition Hill and is expected to include an IDF museum, recruitment centers, and offices for senior defense officials.
Defense Minister Israel Katz described the project as “a decision of sovereignty, Zionism and security,” adding that there was “nothing more symbolic or just” than building defense infrastructure “on the ruins of the UNRWA compound,” which was originally established to assist Palestinians displaced during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.
UNRWA leadership condemned the destruction of its premises, calling it “a new level of open and deliberate defiance of international law.”
While the United Nations has denied allegations of institutional involvement with Hamas, UNRWA stated following an internal review in 2024 that evidence suggested a small number of its staff “may have been involved in the attacks of October 7.”
The agency continues to operate schools, health centers, and humanitarian programs for Palestinian refugees across multiple regions, including Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria. According to United Nations figures, large-scale displacement in Gaza has left millions affected since the escalation of conflict, with humanitarian conditions remaining severe.
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