Israel insists that the seizure of the Jerusalem building complex housing the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is legal.

Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) issued a statement on the matter.

"The complex has no immunity and its confiscation by the Israeli authorities was carried out in accordance with Israeli and international law. Today's step is not a new policy, but rather an implementation of existing Israeli legislation regarding UNRWA," the ministry said.

The Foreign Ministry noted that UNRWA’s activities in Israel were suspended a year ago and the complex itself has been vacant for a long time. “The State of Israel currently owns the building complex in Jerusalem, where the Israel Land Resources Authority operates. UNRWA ceased its activities in the area in January 2025, even before the relevant law was adopted, and since then there have been no UN staff or activities there,” the statement said.

The Israeli side, at the same time, repeated the claim that there are direct links between UNRWA and the radical Palestinian movements Hamas and Islamic Jihad. The Israeli Foreign Ministry claimed that “UNRWA employees participated in the mass killings and kidnappings of Israelis on October 7 (2023). Most of the organization’s employees are Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists, and the organization’s infrastructure has been used for tunnel construction, rocket attacks and terrorism. UNRWA-HAMAS has long ceased to be a humanitarian organization and, on the contrary, has become a suitable place for terrorism,” the Israeli Foreign Ministry said.