UNRWA said Israeli occupation forces “forcibly entered the health centre and used it for the detention and interrogation of tens of Palestinian residents rounded up in the camp.”
The Israeli army has used a UNRWA Health Center in the southern West Bank as a temporary detention site, the UN agency said on Friday.
In a statement, UNRWA said Israeli forces “used the UNRWA Arroub Camp Health Centre (near Bethlehem) as a temporary detention site during a search and arrest operation on 12 February.”
Israeli Security Forces used the UNRWA Arroub Camp Health Centre (near Bethlehem) as a temporary detention site during a search and arrest operation on 12 February. The ISF forcibly entered the health centre and used it for the detention and interrogation of tens of Palestinian… pic.twitter.com/wqnKMPxJuf
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) February 14, 2025
The occupation forces “forcibly entered the health center and used it for the detention and interrogation of tens of Palestinian residents rounded up in the camp.”
“This is a new development in the blatant disregard for the inviolability of United Nations facilities,” said UNRWA.
International Law Protection
The UN agency emphasized that all UN premises “are inviolable and are protected under international law.”
It also noted that during the ongoing large-scale Israeli military operation in the northern West Bank since January 21 alone, “multiple UNRWA facilities have been damaged or broken into.”
Israeli forces have killed 25 Palestinians in Jenin, displaced 20,000, and are now planning permanent military sites in the West Bank. 380 Palestinians detained in one month. The occupation is escalating—where is the outrage? #JeninUnderAttack #WestBankhttps://t.co/ORjHsDr3Zc pic.twitter.com/6r5Je317Jp
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) February 14, 2025
They include the Jenin Camp Health Centre, Jenin Girls’ School #1, Jenin Relief and Social Services Office, Nur Shams Girls’ School, Tulkarm Camp Health Centre and El Far’a Basic Boys School.
Knesset Laws Barring UNRWA
Last October, the Israeli parliament passed two laws that called for ending the UN agency’s operations in Israel and occupied Palestinian territories, and prohibiting Israeli authorities from having any contact with the agency. The laws came into effect on January 30.
‘We Plan to Stay’ – UNRWA Vows to Continue Operations Despite Israeli Ban
This latest incident comes amid a devastating offensive by the Israeli army in Jenin and Tulkarm in the northern West Bank that started on January 21. Over 30 Palestinians have been killed, and around 40,000 have been displaced amid wide-scale destruction of homes and infrastructure.
West Bank Escalations
The Israeli escalation in the West Bank follows a ceasefire deal that came into effect in Gaza on January 19, bringing to a halt Israel’s 15-month-long military assault on the enclave that has killed over 60,000 Palestinians and wounded more than 111,000.
24 Days of Bloodshed: Jenin and the West Bank Face Relentless Israeli Assault
Since October 2023, Israeli occupation forces and settlers have killed at least 912 Palestinians across the occupied West Bank, according to the Health Ministry.
In July 2024, the International Court of Justice the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel’s continued presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is unlawful and should be brought to an end “as rapidly as possible.”
The Court also ruled that Israel was under an obligation “to immediately cease all new settlement activities and to evacuate all settlers” from the occupied land.
(PC, Anadolu)
