Israel cuts water, electricity to UNRWA headquarters in occupied East Jerusalem

By Khaled Yousef

JERUSALEM (AA) – Israeli authorities have cut water and electricity supplies to the headquarters of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) in occupied East Jerusalem, according to Israel’s energy minister.

Eli Cohen said he personally oversaw the disconnection of utilities at the UNRWA compound, confirming that both electricity and water services had been shut off.

“By word and by deed, I have closed the tap on UNRWA,” he added in a post on US social media company X on Wednesday evening.

Cohen earlier told an Israeli radio station that he was heading to East Jerusalem to personally witness the cutoff of water and electricity to UNRWA facilities.

“There is no place for UNRWA in the State of Israel,” Cohen said, repeating Israel’s long-standing allegations that the UN agency is linked to Hamas, claims that UNRWA and the UN have repeatedly denied.

At the end of 2024, Israel’s Knesset approved a decision banning UNRWA from operating in occupied East Jerusalem. In early 2025, the Israeli government ordered the agency to vacate its headquarters in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood.

On Jan. 22, 2026, Israeli forces raided the UNRWA compound in East Jerusalem, seized the site, and demolished buildings inside it, claiming the land belongs to Israel, an assertion rejected by the agency.

Established in 1949 by a UN General Assembly resolution, UNRWA is mandated to provide assistance and protection to Palestinian refugees across five areas of operation: Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip.

The agency relies on donations from UN member states and remains the primary provider of humanitarian aid to Palestinian refugees, including food, healthcare, education, and shelter.

Written by Tarek Chouiref