The head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) said Israelis twice set fire to the perimeter of the agency’s headquarters in East Jerusalem on Thursday.
UNRWA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini said that both UNRWA and other UN agency officials were present when the incidents occurred.
He said there were no casualties among UN personnel, but the fires caused “extensive” damage to the area outside the complex.
“Our director, with the help of other employees, had to put out the fire alone, as it took a while for the fire extinguishers and the Israeli police to appear,” Lazzarini said in a Thursday post on social media platform X.
Lazzarini said the complex will be closed “until adequate security is restored.”
The UN confirmed the incident in X, writing: “Humanitarians are #NotATarget.”
Israel has criticized UNRWA in recent months, accusing some of its officials of being involved in the October 7 terrorist attack in southern Israel that killed around 1,200 Israelis.
An independent report, released in April, did not conclude that UNRWA was compromised by external groups or had failed to achieve systemic neutrality. Former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, who led the investigation, said the agency has “room for improvement” and has some neutrality issues, but the agency’s mechanisms are “elaborate.”
UNRWA has been an essential resource for Palestinians in Gaza, as the agency provides food, shelter, medicine and other supplies.
Lazzarini said “Israeli extremists” have been protesting at the complex for the past two months. This week, the protest was “violent” and stones were thrown at UN staff.
“In recent months, UN staff have regularly been subjected to harassment and intimidation. Our compound was seriously vandalized and damaged,” he said on X. “On several occasions, Israeli extremists threatened our staff with weapons.”
“It is the responsibility of the State of Israel, as the occupying power, to ensure that United Nations personnel and facilities are protected at all times,” he said.
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