Kafr ‘Aqab (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – Israeli forces began evicting a vocational training centre run by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees in an east Jerusalem suburb on Tuesday, in its latest move targeting the beleaguered organisation.
Issued on: 25/08/2026 - 15:58
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It follows repeated warnings by UNRWA that Israeli authorities were threatening its Qalandia training centre, located between the east Jerusalem neighbourhood of Kafr Aqab and the Qalandia refugee camp.The centre was established in 1952 and offers vocational training to around 340 Palestinians from the occupied West Bank every year, according to UNRWA."In accordance with my directive and following the law we passed, today the evacuation of the UNRWA compound in Kafr Aqab in Jerusalem has begun," a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said."The State of Israel will not allow an organisation whose employees were involved in terrorism and in the October 7 massacre to operate within its territory and will act against it with all available means," it added.Israel has repeatedly accused UNRWA of providing cover for Hamas militants, claiming that some of its employees took part in the group's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that sparked the war in Gaza.
