Israel's cabinet has approved a plan to build a “defence compound" on the site of the recently demolished premises of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in occupied East Jerusalem.
Israel, in January, demolished structures inside the UN Palestinian refugee agency's occupied East Jerusalem compound after seizing the site last year, in an act condemned by the agency, rights groups and the international community as a violation of international law.
In a joint statement, the defence ministry and Jerusalem municipality said on Sunday the new compound would include a military museum, a recruitment office, and a defence minister's office.
Defence Minister Israel Katz called the decision one of "sovereignty, Zionism, and security".
UNRWA had not used the building since the start of last year after Israel ordered it to vacate all its premises and cease its operations.
A UNRWA spokesperson declined to comment on the Israeli plan.
The agency operates in East Jerusalem, which the UN and most countries consider territory occupied by Israel, as it was captured from Jordan in the 1967 Middle East war.
UNRWA also operates in Gaza, the occupied West Bank and elsewhere in the Middle East, providing schooling, healthcare, social services and shelter to millions of Palestinians.
Israeli forces forcibly entered the UNRWA headquarters compound in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of occupied East Jerusalem on January 20 and demolished it using bulldozers and heavy machinery.
Israeli far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visited the demolition site of the UNRWA headquarters.
Israeli forces raised the Israeli flag over the UNRWA building, while bulldozers were demolishing the buildings.
A spokesperson for UNRWA said that no country has ever removed or replaced the UN flag from UN premises and demolished its facility in the way Israel has done in occupied East Jerusalem
The UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territory has cited the demolition of a UNRWA compound in East Jerusalem as a sign of a broader attack on the UN system
Over 300 UNRWA employees have been killed by Israel in Gaza.
"There is nothing more symbolic or justified than establishing the new defence recruitment office and defence establishment institutions precisely on the ruins of the former UNRWA compound," Katz boasted.
Israel has killed more than 72,600 people, mostly women and children, and wounded over 172,000 since October 2023.
Despite a ceasefire that took effect on October 10, 2025, the Israeli army has continued its attacks, killing over 870 people and wounding more than 2,540 others, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
UNRWA has accused Israel of conducting "a large-scale disinformation campaign" against it.
