The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has closed its headquarters in East Jerusalem after Israelis set fire to the surrounding area on Thursday.
Philippe Lazzarini, the Commissioner-General of UNRWA, announced on the social media platform X that he decided to close the compound until security could be adequately restored. He noted that this was the second such incident in less than a week.
“This is a deplorable development. Once again, the lives of UN personnel were put at serious risk,” Lazzarini stated.
He added that Israel, as the occupying power, has the responsibility to ensure the protection of UN personnel and facilities at all times.
Adam Pollock, the West Bank operations director for UNRWA, managed to extinguish the fire, which consumed about 70 meters of dry grass and shrubs near the compound’s wall, with the help of some colleagues.
“There were about 100 people watching, applauding, and chanting, most of whom appeared to be minors,” Pollock explained.
He further mentioned that a second fire ignited shortly after near the agency’s fuel depot, posing a significant risk of a large explosion, and reported being hit by stones while he attempted to put out the flames with a fire extinguisher.
UNRWA has long been a target of Israeli hostility. Established to assist Palestinian refugees who fled or were forced to leave their homes during the 1948 war, the agency has faced various challenges over the years.
The Israeli police stated they have opened an investigation into the small fire adjacent to the UNRWA complex. “Preliminary findings of the police investigation suggest that the act was carried out by minors who appear to be below the legal age of criminal responsibility,” the police added.
Since the onset of the war in Gaza, Israeli officials have repeatedly called for the closure of the agency, accusing it of collusion with the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in the enclave, a charge strongly denied by the United Nations.
“There has definitely been an escalation against UNRWA and attacks on it since October 7th,” Pollock told Reuters.
“Not only the physical attacks we witnessed last night, i.e., the fire, but there was also a demonstration a few days ago which involved severe acts of violence and destruction of our property outside this compound.”
Israel considers Jerusalem its indivisible capital, including the eastern parts it occupied in the 1967 war, which Palestinians seek as the capital of their future state.
Lazzarini confirmed that agency staff were in the building at the time of the incident but there were no injuries. The external areas were damaged by the fire, which was eventually extinguished by employees after emergency services took time to arrive at the site.
In accompanying footage from Lazzarini’s post, smoke could be seen rising near the compound’s outskirts as voices chanted and sang in the background.
Lazzarini reported that a crowd accompanied by armed individuals was seen outside the compound, with members chanting “Burn the United Nations.”