Israeli police raid UNRWA compound in East Jerusalem and replace UN flag with Israeli flag, head of the agency says

Israeli authorities raided the compound of UNRWA, the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, in occupied East Jerusalem on Monday, according to the agency’s commissioner general Philippe Lazzarini. In a post on X, Lazzarini said police entered the site, removed the UN flag, and raised Israel’s flag.
Lazzarini said Israeli police and Jerusalem municipal officials “forcibly” entered the compound and brought in trucks and forklifts. He added that communications were cut and that furniture, IT equipment, and other items were seized.
Israeli police told CNN that the operation was carried out by the Jerusalem Municipality as part of a debt collection procedure, and that officers were present only to secure municipal staff. A spokesperson for the municipality told CNN that UNRWA had accumulated approximately 11 million shekels, about 3.4 million dollars, in unpaid property taxes despite repeated reminders.
UN officials rejected that claim. Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN secretary general, said the tax demand was not applicable under the conventions that govern relations between the United Nations and member states.
UN Secretary General António Guterres condemned what he described as an unauthorized entry by Israeli authorities. In a statement, he said the compound is considered UN premises and is inviolable and immune from external interference, citing Israel’s obligations under the UN Charter and other international legal frameworks.
Israel has long criticized UNRWA, accusing the agency of aiding Hamas and calling for it to be dismantled. UNRWA has repeatedly denied those accusations.