ICSPR Condemns in the Strongest Terms the Dangerous and Multi-Faceted Israeli Escalation Against the Palestinian People and Their Humanitarian Institutions

Date: 20 January 2025

Press Statement

ICSPR Condemns in the Strongest Terms the Dangerous and Multi-Faceted Israeli Escalation Against the Palestinian People and Their Humanitarian Institutions

The International Commission to Support Palestinian People’s Rights (ICSPR) condemns in the strongest terms the dangerous and multi-faceted Israeli escalation against the Palestinian people and their humanitarian institutions since the ceasefire agreement entered into force on 10 October 2025. This escalation has been manifested through systematic military violations in the Gaza Strip, as well as an unprecedented and direct targeting of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in occupied East Jerusalem. These ongoing violations have resulted in the killing of 466 Palestinians and the injury of 1,294 others, in addition to the recovery of the bodies of 713 martyrs, amid repeated gunfire, military incursions, bombardment and demolition of homes, and the deliberate obstruction of rescue teams. This constitutes a consistent pattern of war crimes and undermines the very essence of the ceasefire and its accompanying humanitarian protocol.

ICSPR affirms that the raid carried out by Israeli occupation forces on Tuesday morning, 20 January 2026, against UNRWA’s headquarters in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of occupied East Jerusalem, the demolition of the mobile offices within the compound, the lowering of the United Nations flag and the raising of the occupation’s flag in its place, under the direct escort of Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, represents a dangerous precedent in the history of the United Nations. This act constitutes a flagrant violation of the 1946 Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations and a direct assault on the international legal order. The participation of Ben-Gvir and his statements describing the demolition of UNRWA’s headquarters as a “historic day,” alongside the positions and incitement of Bezalel Smotrich openly calling for the dismantling of the Agency, confirm that what occurred is an official state policy aimed at imposing sovereignty by force over an internationally protected UN institution.

ICSPR stresses that this attack is not an isolated incident, but rather comes within the context of an organized and escalating Israeli campaign against UNRWA. Over recent months, this campaign has included raids on schools and clinics, the closure of educational and health facilities, the cutting of water, electricity, and communications to UNRWA premises, the confiscation of equipment and furniture, and the targeting of the Qalandiya Vocational Training Centre. These actions have been carried out pursuant to racist legislation passed by the Israeli Knesset aimed at banning UNRWA’s work in occupied East Jerusalem and criminalizing its presence. ICSPR affirms that such legislation creates no legal legitimacy, but instead serves as a domestic cover for the commission of grave violations of international law.

ICSPR considers that the targeting of UNRWA cannot be separated from the broader political context of attempts to liquidate the Palestinian refugee issue and erase their inalienable right of return, by undermining the Agency established by a resolution of the United Nations General Assembly, which represents one of the legal and humanitarian pillars of international recognition of the refugee issue. What is taking place reflects a clear shift from policies of restriction and obstruction to a policy of forced elimination of the UN role, in preparation for the imposition of political and demographic facts by force, particularly in occupied East Jerusalem.

ICSPR affirms that these violations constitute a direct breach of the ruling of the International Court of Justice issued in October 2025, which emphasized Israel’s obligation to facilitate UNRWA’s work and ensure its protection, confirmed that Israel has no jurisdiction over occupied East Jerusalem, and stressed the necessity of respecting the privileges and immunities granted to the United Nations and its agencies. Disregard for this ruling represents blatant contempt for international justice and undermines the standing of the international judiciary itself.

ICSPR notes that during the 100 days following the entry into force of the ceasefire agreement (10 October 2025 – 20 January 2026), the Israeli occupation committed no fewer than 1,300 systematic violations of the agreement, including gunfire, military incursions, bombardment, and the demolition of homes within residential neighborhoods. These violations resulted in 483 martyrs, 1,287 injured persons, and 50 detainees, the overwhelming majority of whom were civilians, including high proportions of children and women. More than 96% of the victims were targeted away from the so-called “yellow line.” The occupation also failed to comply with the humanitarian protocol, allowing the entry of only 43% of the agreed number of aid trucks and 13% of the required fuel, while preventing the entry of shelter materials, medical supplies, and heavy equipment, and continuing land encroachment and restrictions on rescue and relief operations. This deliberate policy of subjugation, starvation, and blackmail has turned the ceasefire into a cover for managing the aggression rather than ending it.

ICSPR warns that the targeting of UNRWA in Jerusalem coincides with the ongoing crime of genocide against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and the banning of UNRWA and international humanitarian organizations from operating. Approximately 1.9 million people are living without effective shelter amid the prevention of the entry of shelter materials and fuel, and in conditions of extreme cold that have claimed the lives of infants and children. This is compounded by systematic starvation, the collapse of the health system, and the dire conditions of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons, reflecting a unified Israeli policy aimed at dismantling the international protection system, exposing civilians to grave harm, and emptying international law of its substance.

ICSPR believes that international silence in the face of this escalation no longer constitutes mere political failure, but has become a form of implicit complicity. It emphasizes that the protection of UNRWA is not a procedural or administrative matter, but rather a real test of the international community’s commitment to safeguarding the UN system, refugee rights, and the principle of the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by force.

ICSPR calls on the international community to pursue three urgent and non-deferrable courses of action:

First – International criminal accountability:
Immediate action to refer all crimes committed against civilians and UN institutions, foremost among them the targeting of UNRWA and violations of the ceasefire, to the International Criminal Court, and to work toward issuing arrest warrants against the Israeli officials involved, including Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, as direct partners in incitement and execution, and to ensure that they do not enjoy impunity.

Second – Immediate protection of civilians and humanitarian institutions:
The provision of urgent international protection for UNRWA premises and staff in Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza; the cessation of all forms of attacks against them; the lifting of restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid, shelter materials, fuel, and medical supplies; and the immediate permission for the National Committee/Technocratic Committee to operate inside the Gaza Strip without obstruction, in order to ensure the management of relief and humanitarian response in accordance with the humanitarian protocol.

Third – Ending systematic colonial policies:
Compelling the occupation to halt policies of annexation, settlement expansion, and forcible transfer; to respect the legal status of occupied Jerusalem; to guarantee the protection of Palestinian refugees’ rights and their inalienable right of return; and to fully comply with the ceasefire agreement, including the entry of heavy equipment to remove rubble and enable reconstruction, while holding the occupation fully legally responsible for any new violation or crime