Israel seizes UN training centre for Palestinian teens in East Jerusalem

Israeli forces stormed the Qalandiya Vocational Training Institute, a UN-run facility for Palestinian teens, in East Jerusalem on August 25, 2026. The 88-dunam campus, located in Kafr Aqab, north of occupied Jerusalem, was evacuated of 88 staff members, who were ordered not to return. Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir led the operation, which coincided with ongoing violence in nearby Qalandiya refugee camp.

The seizure occurred after Israel passed a law in 2024 banning UNRWA from operating in Israel, following allegations of Israeli agency staff involvement in the October 7, 2023, attack from Gaza. The Qalandiya centre had provided vocational training to hundreds of Palestinian refugee teenagers for over 70 years, but is now the last remaining UN facility in East Jerusalem.

Ben Gvir celebrated the takeover on social media, stating, "I am sitting in what used to be the Unrwa director's office. On my watch, there is no Unrwa, there is no management, they will not be here." UNRWA condemned the raid, stating that armed Israeli forces entered a UN facility without authorization, violating international law.

The takeover raises concerns about the targeting of institutions with international and UN immunity, with Palestinian sources alleging Israeli authorities plan to replace UN agencies with public facilities and schools teaching the Israeli curriculum.