Israel Land Authority to transform UNRWA complex into major housing development

The project to turn the UNRWA Jerusalem complex into over a thousand apartment units is underway, ILA announced.

 A damaged sign is pictured at the headquarters of UNRWA, following an Israeli raid, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Gaza City, July 12, 2024. (photo credit: REUTERS/DAWOUD ABU ALKAS)
A damaged sign is pictured at the headquarters of UNRWA, following an Israeli raid, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Gaza City, July 12, 2024.
(photo credit: REUTERS/DAWOUD ABU ALKAS)

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) complex in Jerusalem will be turned into an apartment complex, the Israel Land Authority (ILA) announced on Thursday.

According to the information on the ILA website, the project is already in the preparation stages.

The UNRWA complex, located in Ma'alot Dafna, Jerusalem, is planned to become a housing project with 1,440 units.

In May, Ynet reported that the ILA informed UNRWA that it must vacate the premises it had been using and pay Israel tens of millions of shekels in overdue rent accumulated over the years they had been using the property.

UNRWA support of Hamas

The IDF uncovered evidence that UNRWA workers were involved in the October 7 massacre, and multiple instances were found where Hamas terror infrastructure was embedded within UNRWA facilities in the Gaza Strip. 

 UNRWA (credit: ABED RAHIM KHATIB/FLASH90)
UNRWA (credit: ABED RAHIM KHATIB/FLASH90)

Maj. Shay Rosengarten, chairman of Im Tirtzu, the leading organization in the struggle to remove UNRWA from Israel, said in response, "Congratulations to ILA for the quick action. The UNRWA employees who were involved in the October 7th massacre must be punished in the most severe manner, and the rest deported."

"A commemorative museum for the terrible Simchat Torah massacre should be established in the new complex. We thank our thousands of activists who demanded the removal of UNRWA from Jerusalem!" Rosengarten stated.