UN agency says Israeli forces raided its training center in East Jerusalem 5 times this year

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said Tuesday that Israeli forces have raided its Qalandiya Training Centre, its last operational facility in occupied East Jerusalem, five times since the start of 2026.

Speaking to Anadolu during a tour organized by the agency at the center, Acting Head of UNRWA’s Media Office in the occupied West Bank, Abeer Ismail, said the center remains UNRWA’s last functioning facility in occupied East Jerusalem.

“UNRWA has not received any Israeli order to close, confiscate or demolish it,” she said.

According to Ismail, Israel’s law banning UNRWA’s activities in Jerusalem came into force more than a year ago, leading to the closure of the agency’s headquarters in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, its six schools in East Jerusalem and its clinics in the Shuafat refugee camp and the Old City.

“Despite receiving no official closure or confiscation orders, Israeli authorities have carried out five raids on the center since the beginning of the year without prior notice,” she said.

Ismail said the center continues operating despite the repeated raids, with students continuing to attend vocational and summer training courses.

She described the facility as UN property protected under the UN Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations and called on the international community to intervene to prevent its closure or confiscation.

She added that communication between UNRWA and Israeli authorities has been cut off, while the agency continues coordinating with UN bodies and human rights organizations.

Asked about alternatives if the center is closed, Ismail said UNRWA could find another location but stressed that preserving the current site was the main issue because of its symbolic significance.

She noted that the center was established in the early 1950s on land made available by the Jordanian government and said its closure would carry political implications and form part of broader efforts to undermine UNRWA’s work in the occupied West Bank.

On July 27, Israeli forces raided the center and detained staff members, marking the second raid in less than a month.

According to UNRWA, the vocational training center serves around 350 Palestinian refugee students between the ages of 15 and 19 from 19 refugee camps across the occupied West Bank, providing free education, accommodation, meals and vocational training.

In October 2024, the Israeli Knesset passed two laws banning UNRWA from operating in Israel and prohibiting official contact with the agency. The legislation entered into force at the end of January 2025.