Israeli crews have bulldozed the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) headquarters in East Jerusalem. They also fired teargas at a UN vocational school in Qalandia, West Bank. Israel accuses UNRWA of aiding Hamas, claims the agency denies. Last year, Israel banned UNRWA from operating in its territory. Roland Friedrich, UNRWA's West Bank director, said demolition teams and police arrived early morning at the East Jerusalem site, which was mostly unused for security reasons. Israeli forces took equipment and removed private security guards. An Israeli flag was raised above the compound in the Sheikh Jarrah area. Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called the day "historic." Israel's foreign ministry defended the demolition, saying, "Unrwa-Hamas had ceased operations at this site with no UN personnel present." They said the seizure followed Israeli and international law. Friedrich called the action a violation of international law protecting such sites. He said, "What we saw today is the culmination of two years of incitement and measures against UNRWA in East Jerusalem." Founded in 1949, UNRWA aids 2.5 million Palestinian refugees in Gaza, West Bank, and East Jerusalem, plus 3 million more in Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon. The agency runs schools, health care, and supports refugee camps. After the October 2023 Hamas attack, Israeli settlers blocked UNRWA Jerusalem offices, accusing it of Hamas collaboration. UNRWA staff face ongoing harassment by Israeli forces. A 2024 US intelligence report judged with "low confidence" that a few UNRWA staff joined the attack, but its accuracy is unclear. Israel's government cut UNRWA ties legally in 2023, banning it from parts of Israel including East Jerusalem. UNRWA reports 382 staff killed by Israeli forces in Gaza since the conflict began. Israeli bulldozers destroyed the headquarters on Tuesday, as videos showed. UNRWA's commissioner general Philippe Lazzarini warned, "This must be a wake-up call. What happens today to UNRWA will happen to other international groups worldwide." The move is part of wider political and financial pressures. The US cut UNRWA aid in 2018, restored funding in 2021, then paused again in 2024. New Israeli laws target humanitarian groups, demanding dismissal of staff linked to "delegitimising Israel" and detailed reporting. Organizations like Médecins Sans Frontières and Care face license expirations by 2025. Aid groups say these actions worsen the humanitarian crisis facing civilians in Gaza and the West Bank.