JERUSALEM, August 25, 2026 (WAFA) – The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said in a press statement today that Israeli forces forcibly raided its Kalandia Training Centre (KTC) in occupied East Jerusalem at around 10:00 a.m., with at least four armored vehicles and more than 50 Israeli security personnel, while approximately 20 UNRWA staff members were on site.
According to the statement, Israeli officials subsequently made public statements indicating that the premises had been seized by the Israeli authorities.
UNRWA unequivocally condemned this unauthorized and deeply concerning incursion into the Kalandia Training Centre.
The statement read: “The entry of armed security forces into a United Nations facility, without the authorization or consent of the United Nations, is unacceptable. The KTC is a United Nations facility protected by the privileges and immunities afforded to the Organization under international law. Its inviolability must be fully respected.”
UNRWA said that the Kalandia Training Centre is not merely a building, but its oldest vocational training centre, which has served Palestine Refugees for more than seven decades. “Thousands of Palestine Refugees have graduated from the KTC and gone on to contribute to local and regional labour markets. Every year, the centre provides hundreds of Palestine Refugee students from refugee camps across the occupied West Bank - many of whom face severe socio-economic hardship - with access to free vocational education and a pathway towards greater economic independence,” it said.
The statement continued, “Any attempt to take possession of, interfere with, or otherwise undermine the functioning of an UNRWA facility strikes at the ability of the United Nations to carry out its mandate.”
UNRWA said it will continue to insist on the protection of its premises, personnel, and operations, as well as respect for the privileges and immunities accorded to the United Nations under international law.
UNRWA called on the international community to act immediately and decisively to safeguard the inviolability of the Kalandia Training Centre and all other United Nations facilities in occupied East Jerusalem.
It said, “The international community must ensure that United Nations premises are protected from unauthorized entry and seizure, and that UNRWA can continue delivering essential services to Palestine Refugee communities without intimidation, obstruction or interference.”
“The integrity and inviolability of United Nations premises cannot be conditional. They must be respected, upheld and protected,” the statement concluded.
