Hamas slams Israeli plan to turn UNRWA compound into military bases in al-Quds

The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has strongly condemned the Israeli regime’s approval of a plan to convert the headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in occupied al-Quds into military facilities.

In a statement released on Sunday, Hamas described the move as “a dangerous development, a blatant violation of international law, and a clear disregard for the United Nations and the immunity of its organizations.”

The statement affirmed, “We consider this measure null and illegitimate, and a stark challenge to the will of the international community.”

Hamas also stated that Israel’s destruction of the UNRWA office in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood forms part of a broader plan “to Judaize and colonize Palestinian land.”

The resistance movement added that the Israeli action “requires a firm international stance and deterrent sanctions to stop the aggression of the criminal Netanyahu regime against our land, our people, and our holy sites.”

Hamas further emphasized that decisive international action is needed to “compel the Israeli regime to respect the immunity of UN agencies, particularly UNRWA.”

The statement stressed that the UN agency has been “systematically targeted in an attempt to obliterate its role as an international witness to the right of our people to return to their occupied land.”

The Hamas statement was issued hours after the Israeli cabinet approved the construction of a military compound on the site of the recently demolished UNRWA premises in occupied al-Quds.

In January, Israel demolished structures inside the UN Palestinian refugee agency’s East al-Quds compound after seizing the site last year, an act the agency condemned as a violation of international law.

The Israeli Ministry of Military Affairs said the new compound would house a military museum, a recruitment office, and the war minister’s office. Israeli War Minister Israel Katz described the decision as one of “sovereignty, Zionism, and security.”

UNRWA has not used the building since the beginning of last year, after Israel ordered the agency to vacate all its premises and cease operations.

In recent years, several other international aid agencies and humanitarian organizations have also been banned from operating and assisting Palestinians across the besieged Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and other occupied territories.

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