UNRWA Compound Evacuation: Five Wounded in East Jerusalem

A joint security operation to evacuate a UNRWA compound in East Jerusalem ended Tuesday morning with Israeli forces opening live fire on stone-throwers, wounding five suspects who police say posed a direct threat to troops on the ground. The incident occurred during a large-scale operation involving Border Police fighters, Israel Defense Forces soldiers, and Jerusalem District police officers.

According to security officials, the operation began in the early morning hours as part of a mission to secure the complete evacuation of the compound. During the operation, however, a group of suspects positioned themselves on the roof of one of the buildings and began hurling heavy stones at forces operating below.

Security sources emphasized that the stone-throwing created an immediate danger to the lives of the troops. Facing this direct threat, Border Police fighters identified the source of the stones and fired precisely at the stone-throwers. Five suspects on the roof were wounded as a result of the gunfire.

The operation at the UNRWA compound comes against the backdrop of Israeli government policy to shut down the organization's activities in Jerusalem. Just days earlier, police and Border Police forces raided UNRWA's vocational training center adjacent to the village of Kalandia, in an effort to permanently close what officials describe as the organization's last stronghold in the capital city.

Security officials stress that activity in East Jerusalem is part of an uncompromising policy toward any attempt to harm security forces. "Security forces will continue to act with great force against any element that attempts to endanger Israeli citizens and fighters in the field," police stated.

The East Jerusalem incident joins a series of stone-throwing cases that have occurred in recent weeks in the area. Just days ago, four minors were arrested on suspicion of throwing stones in the At-Tur neighborhood toward Jewish homes, and in another case a suspect was documented throwing stones at security forces in the village of Beit Furik.

Documentation of the incident was distributed to the public, and police made clear they will continue to act decisively against any attempt to harm security forces. The wounded suspects were evacuated for medical treatment, and police have opened a comprehensive investigation into the incident.