The Hamas has strongly condemned the Israeli government’s approval of plans to transform the headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of Occupied Jerusalem into military facilities.

In a statement issued Sunday, Hamas said the decision to repurpose the UNRWA compound into facilities that reportedly include an Israeli army museum and a military recruitment office represents “a dangerous escalation and a blatant violation of international law.”

The Movement accused Israel of showing disregard for the United Nations and the legal protections granted to international institutions, arguing that the decision forms part of an ongoing colonial expansion project targeting Palestinian land in Jerusalem.

According to Hamas, the move is “null and illegitimate” and directly challenges the international community’s position on the status of Occupied Jerusalem. The group called for urgent international intervention to condemn and reverse the decision, while also urging sanctions against the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Hamas further stated that the targeting of UNRWA is part of what it described as a “systematic campaign” aimed at dismantling the agency’s role as an international witness to the Palestinian refugees’ right of return to their homeland.

The controversy surrounding UNRWA has intensified amid broader tensions over Israel’s policies in East Jerusalem and the occupied Palestinian territories. Palestinian groups and human rights advocates have repeatedly warned that Israeli measures in neighborhoods such as Sheikh Jarrah are intended to alter the demographic and historical character of the city in favor of expanding Israeli control.

The Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood has become a focal point of international attention in recent years due to disputes involving Palestinian residents facing displacement and expanding Israeli settlement activity. (ILKHA)