UNRWA in Jerusalem faces severe restrictions: power and water supplies have been cut off, and a notice has been issued to close the health clinic
The Israeli occupation authorities have started implementing the amendment to the 2025 law aimed at stopping the activities of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). This follows its approval by the Knesset at the end of 2025 with a vote of 59 to 7.
The amendment forbids connecting electricity and water to properties registered under UNRWA and authorizes the state to seize land formerly used by the agency in specific compounds.
In this context, UNRWA institutions in Jerusalem were informed that their electricity and water services would be disconnected two weeks after the notification date. The institutions at risk of disconnection include:
• The main compound in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood
• The waste compactor/Shu'fat refugee camp
• The administration/Shu'fat refugee camp
• The health clinic/Shu'fat refugee camp
• The elementary school/Shu'fat refugee camp
• The girls' elementary school/Shu'fat refugee camp
• The girls' school in Wadi Hilweh – Silwan
• The girls' school in Sur Baher
• The training center in Qalandia
• A health clinic in the Old City of Jerusalem
The Jerusalem District Electricity Company stated that "the law halting UNRWA operations took effect on December 31, 2025, and explicitly prohibits providing the agency with basic services, including electricity, to any property registered in UNRWA's name, under penalty of law."
The company stated that the law requires it, as the service provider, to disconnect electricity to all facilities registered under the agency's name within 15 days of receiving notification.
UNRWA institutions also received similar notices from the Gihon Water Company instructing them to stop their water supply.
Closure notices in the Old City
Meanwhile, the occupation authorities issued a closure notice for an UNRWA clinic in Jerusalem's Old City.
The administration of the Jerusalem Health Center (Al-Zawiya Clinic), located inside Herods Gate, was notified of a one-month closure of the clinic, from January 12 to February 10, 2026. According to the decision, the closure is justified as a measure to "prevent disturbing public order and social peace."
Continuous escalation since 2024
This escalation occurs amid a series of ongoing Israeli actions against UNRWA in Jerusalem over the last two years.
In May 2024, Israeli authorities ordered the agency to vacate its headquarters located in Sheikh Jarrah, alleging unauthorized land use by the Israel Land Authority. Additionally, they mandated UNRWA to pay 27 million shekels in overdue rent for the period it occupied the property, viewing this sum as a debt owed by the agency.
In early October 2024, the 'Israel Land Authority' announced it would confiscate UNRWA's land in occupied Jerusalem to make way for a settlement project involving 1,440 housing units.
In October 2024, the Knesset enacted a law banning UNRWA's activities in Israel and another law forbidding any contact with the agency.
On January 24, 2025, Israel demanded that UNRWA stop its operations in Jerusalem and vacate all its facilities by January 30, 2025.
In February 2025, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the enforcement of this law, which bans UNRWA activities within Israel.
Raids and attacks on UNRWA headquarters
Over the past two and a half years, UNRWA has faced a series of laws and measures that ban its activities in Jerusalem. This has included repeated raids on its headquarters and assaults by settlers, especially targeting its main office in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood.
The latest raid took place on December 8, 2025, when Israeli forces raided the agency's headquarters in Sheikh Jarrah. They removed the UN flag from the main tower, replaced it with the Israeli flag, confiscated furniture and technological devices, and dismantled some metal furniture to transport it away in trucks.
UNRWA administration clarifies
In a statement released this evening, the UNRWA Director of Affairs detailed that Israeli forces entered the Jerusalem Health Center operated by UNRWA, required the removal of UN signage, and issued a temporary 30-day closure order, which could lead to permanent shutdown. This event occurs amid a growing crackdown on the UN presence in occupied East Jerusalem.
The statement added: “At the same time, UNRWA was informed of imminent cuts to electricity and water supplies at several of its facilities, including schools and health centers, risking the continuation of vital humanitarian services.”
These actions are part of an ongoing Israeli effort, following anti-UNRWA amendments passed in the Knesset in December 2025, aimed at preventing the agency from fulfilling its UN mandate in East Jerusalem, which is not under Israeli sovereignty, and the application of Israeli law in East Jerusalem is illegal and conflicts with the International Court of Justice ruling (October 2025), which requires Israel to support UNRWA's activities.
The statement highlighted that these events suggest UNRWA's long-standing presence in East Jerusalem is nearing its end.
