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UN chief urges Israel to halt demolition of UNRWA compound

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the demolition of the UNRWA headquarters on Tuesday, calling the site "inviolable and immune" and demanding that Israel immediately restore the compound to UN control.

AFP WORLD
Published January 20,2026
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UN chief Antonio Guterres condemned Israel's move to demolish the headquarters of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees in east Jerusalem, his spokesman said Tuesday, calling the site "inviolable and immune" from interference.

"The secretary-general urges the government of Israel to immediately cease the demolition of the UNRWA Sheikh Jarrah compound, and to return and restore the compound and other UNRWA premises to the United Nations without delay," spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters.