Ireland slams Israel’s demolition of UNRWA HQ

Irish foreign minister Helen McEntee has condemned Israel’s targeting of buildings belonging to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) in East Jerusalem on Friday, calling for an end to the attacks. 

Her comments followed the demolition of a UNRWA compound and the firing of tear gas by Israeli forces at a UN vocational training school in Qalandia in the occupied West Bank earlier this week.

McEntee said she was “appalled” by Israel’s actions, warning that steps which obstruct the “indispensable” work of UNRWA, as well as other UN agencies, would have serious consequences. 

“I am appalled by the further destructive actions taken by Israeli authorities this week against UNRWA premises in East Jerusalem. These actions are not isolated incidents,” McEntee said. 

She added: “They form part of a wider and sustained effort to undermine and dismantle UNRWA’s operations across the occupied Palestinian territory.”

The Irish foreign minister warned that such actions would “deepen the humanitarian crisis and place civilian lives at even greater risk”.

“International law is clear: humanitarian aid workers, along with journalists and medics, must be protected in times of conflict. It is unacceptable that they continue to be killed while trying to help others while carrying out their important roles,” she added. 

Israel has repeatedly accused UNRWA of collaborating with Hamas, without providing verified evidence. The agency, which is the largest distributor of aid in the occupied Palestinian territories, has long denied the allegations.

According to UNRWA, 382 of its staff have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza since the start of the war.

UNRWA’s operations were further restricted last year after Israel’s Knesset passed legislation severing ties with the agency and banning it from operating in areas Israel defines as its territory, including East Jerusalem. 

The demolition of its premises marks the latest move by Israel against the agency, which provides humanitarian assistance to millions of Palestinian refugees. 

Last Friday, UNRWA said the Qalandia Training Centre, which offers vocational training to around 350 male students from across the West Bank in trades including plumbing and vehicle maintenance, could be forced to shut, as Israeli authorities consider expropriating the land on which it stands.