“Israel” to Build Military Compound on Site of Demolished UN Office 

By Staff, Agencies 

“Israeli” War Minister Israel Katz has approved plans to establish a new military complex on the site of the former UN Relief and Works Agency [UNRWA] headquarters in East of Occupied Al-Quds.

“Israeli” authorities have accused the agency of colluding with Hamas during the October 7, 2023 attack.

The “Israeli” occupation Forces seized and partially demolished the UNRWA compound in 2024 after the Knesset passed “legislation” banning the organization’s activities in areas under “Israeli” control.

In December, the War Ministry signed an agreement with the Occupation municipality to establish a new defense headquarters in the city and relocate several military colleges there.

According to “Israeli” media reports, the new compound will cover around nine acres near Ammunition Hill and include an “Israeli” army museum, recruitment offices, and facilities for the war minister.

Katz said on Sunday that the move represented “a decision of sovereignty, Zionism and security,” claiming that there was “nothing more symbolic or just” than establishing war institutions “on the ruins of the UNRWA compound,” which was originally created to support displaced Palestinians.

UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini condemned the destruction of the office as “a new level of open and deliberate defiance of international law.”

The agency operates schools, clinics, and aid programs for Palestinian refugees across Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria. More than 2.3 million people have been displaced by “Israel’s” military aggression in Gaza, and over one million are sheltering in UNRWA facilities.

More than 72,000 Palestinians have been martyred in Gaza since 2023, according to the UN.
UN agencies and humanitarian groups have repeatedly warned of catastrophic conditions in the enclave, including widespread hunger and overcrowded refugee camps.