Israeli bulldozers demolished the headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency in occupied East Jerusalem on Tuesday, tearing down the facility that serves Palestinian refugees while government ministers showed up to celebrate and wave Israeli flags.

WHAT’S GOING ON: Israeli forces rolled into Sheikh Jarrah early Tuesday morning to raze UNRWA’s offices—the culmination of a years-long campaign to destroy the agency that provides humanitarian services to 5.5 million Palestinian refugees across the region. National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir called it “a historic day.”

But wait, there’s more. On the same day, Israeli forces fired tear gas at a vocational school in Qalandia where over 300 young Palestinians receive job training. According to the Palestinian Authority’s Jerusalem governate, children walking home from the school were overcome by tear gas, and a 15-year-old was shot in the eye with a rubber bullet.

THE DETAILS: “What we saw today is the culmination of two years of incitement and measures against UNRWA in east Jerusalem,” said Roland Friedrich, the agency’s West Bank director, calling the demolition a violation of international law guaranteeing U.N. facilities protection.

Staff hadn’t operated out of the headquarters for almost a year due to safety concerns, but Israeli forces confiscated devices and kicked out private security guards before sending in the bulldozers. Israel’s Foreign Ministry claimed it owns the site and rejected any notion that leveling a U.N. compound violates international law.

BUT BUT BUT: Israel has long insisted UNRWA has “anti-Israel bias” and employs Hamas militants—claims the U.N. has repeatedly denied, noting the agency quickly purges any suspected militants from its staff. The International Court of Justice ruled in October that Israel must allow UNRWA to provide humanitarian assistance in Gaza. Israel’s response? Bulldozers.

The demolition follows legislation passed by Israel’s Knesset last year banning UNRWA from operating anywhere Israel controls—including occupied East Jerusalem. Since then, the agency’s schools, health centers, and headquarters have been repeatedly closed, raided, or left unprotected.

OF COURSE: Israeli politicians aren’t even pretending this is about security anymore. Israel has openly stated it believes UNRWA “perpetuates Palestinians’ refugee status”—in other words, the agency’s real crime is keeping the refugee issue alive when Israel would prefer it simply disappeared.

ZOOM OUT: This isn’t just about UNRWA. Israel has been systematically deregistering aid groups operating in Gaza and the West Bank, passing laws requiring NGOs to submit staff lists and banning anyone who “delegitimizes Israel” or supports boycotts. Dozens of organizations—including Doctors Without Borders and CARE—were told their licenses would expire at the end of 2025.

“This must be a wake-up call,” UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said on X. “What happens today to UNRWA will happen tomorrow to any other international organisation or diplomatic mission, whether in the Occupied Palestinian Territory or anywhere around the world.”

WHY IT MATTERS: UNRWA isn’t just some bureaucratic U.N. office. It runs schools, provides healthcare, and delivers aid to millions of Palestinian refugees in Gaza, the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon. Dismantling it doesn’t make those refugees disappear—it just leaves them without schools, doctors, or food aid during what is already a humanitarian catastrophe.

The demolitions could now imperil UNRWA’s vocational center in Qalandia and its health facility in Shua’fat, where the agency continues providing services despite Israel’s ban. Meanwhile, Israel is hoisting flags over the rubble of a U.N. compound while its ministers pose for photos.