Jerusalem [Israel], August 26: Israeli forces have raided the Qalandiya Training Centre, a key facility operated by the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) in the neighbourhood of Kafr Aqab in occupied East Jerusalem.
Before the raid on Tuesday, which UNRWA condemned, Israeli forces closed the nearby Qalandiya checkpoint, the primary Israeli checkpoint between East Jerusalem and the northern West Bank.
Heavy military deployments spread throughout the surrounding neighbourhoods and the adjacent Qalandiya refugee camp in the West Bank. Soldiers forcibly expelled all UNRWA employees from the site, telling them not to return.
Far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir participated in the raid.
Speaking from the site, Ben-Gvir praised the operation, stating that authorities had begun an "operation to evacuate the building" and asserting that "there is no place for the agency in Jerusalem and Israel."
He also posted on X that "UNRWA in our hands."
UNRWA released a statement to "unequivocally condemn" what it described as an "unauthorised and deeply concerning incursion".
"The entry of armed security forces into a United Nations facility, without the authorisation or consent of the United Nations, is unacceptable," it said.UNRWA also called on the international community to act immediately and condemn the violation.
Source: Qatar Tribune
