Heavy machinery operates as Israeli forces dismantle the Jerusalem headquarters of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), in East Jerusalem, on Jan. 20, 2026. Ammar Awad/Reuters
Israel on Jan. 20 began demolishing the East Jerusalem headquarters of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), sending bulldozers and security forces into the compound in the early morning hours, according to statements from the United Nations and Israeli officials.
Israeli forces entered the site with heavy equipment and destroyed buildings inside the compound, UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said in a Jan. 20 statement, describing it as an “unprecedented attack.”
