Israel extends campaign against UNRWA to advance West Bank annexation

What the report says

Israeli forces raided the UNRWA Qalandiya Training Centre in occupied East Jerusalem on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, in an operation Al Jazeera says was led by far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. The article says Israeli authorities justified the move under legislation passed in October 2024 that bans the UN agency for Palestinian refugees. Qatar condemned the action, warning that Palestinians could lose access to essential services.

Al Jazeera’s reporting links the raid to a wider Israeli effort to weaken refugee protections and tighten control over the occupied West Bank. Analysts quoted by the outlet argued that the site’s location near the boundary between East Jerusalem and the West Bank gives it strategic importance for settlement expansion and what they described as a broader “Greater Jerusalem” project. They said that controlling the area could further fragment Palestinian communities and reduce territorial continuity between cities such as Jerusalem and Ramallah.

UNRWA officials told Al Jazeera they were not warned in advance and described the takeover as unprecedented because the UN flag was lowered and the centre was seized. The agency said the action undermines its mandate and protections under UN arrangements dating back to 1967. Al Jazeera also noted that UNRWA is already under financial strain and has faced repeated restrictions, raids and donor cuts, including major reductions in US funding.