Madrid and Doha join international outcry over the storming of the Qalandia training centre, as fears grow for the future of Palestinian aid.
“Unacceptable violations” of UN status
The forced seizure of a United Nations educational centre in the occupied West Bank has drawn sharp international condemnation, with Spain and Qatar accusing Israel of orchestrating a systematic campaign to dismantle the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).
The diplomatic backlash follows the storming of the Qalandia training centre on August 25, an incident that has left 350 Palestinian teenagers without access to education and intensified concerns over the humanitarian fallout from the suspension of the agency’s operations.
In a statement released on Friday, the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the takeover of the educational facility and parallel attacks on UNRWA properties in the Shuafat refugee camp, allegedly carried out with the support of Israeli authorities, as “unacceptable violations” of the protected status afforded to UN premises.
The criticism was echoed by the Qatari Foreign Ministry, which alleged that the systematic targeting of UNRWA was a deliberate attempt to dismantle the agency entirely. Such a move, Doha warned, would strip millions of Palestinians in Gaza, the occupied West Bank, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon of vital humanitarian assistance.
Storming of Qalandia leaves students without schooling
Details of the operation reveal a heavy-handed intervention. According to UNRWA, more than 50 Israeli soldiers, travelling in four armoured personnel carriers, entered the Qalandia centre while 20 staff members were inside. The forces subsequently cut electricity and water supplies to the compound before expelling the personnel.
The immediate consequence of the takeover is the disruption of education for 350 Palestinian adolescents who relied on the facility for their vocational training and schooling.
A history of escalating pressure
The incident marks a significant escalation in a long-running dispute between Israel and the agency. Israeli authorities have been progressively curtailing UNRWA’s activities over the past year.
In October 2024, the Knesset passed legislation banning the agency’s operations, a law that officially came into force in January 2025. This legislative action was followed by a physical assault on the agency’s infrastructure in January 2026, when Israeli forces seized and demolished UNRWA’s headquarters in East Jerusalem (Al-Quds).
The effective shutdown of the agency poses a direct threat to the standard of living for approximately 2.5 million registered Palestinian refugees who depend on its services, including healthcare and education.
Global demand for reversal
The storming of the Qalandia complex has drawn a swift response from the highest levels of international diplomacy. UN Secretary-General António Guterres joined the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Arab Parliament in firmly condemning the action.
In a joint call for accountability, these bodies insisted on the inviolability of UN facilities and demanded the immediate return of the complex to UNRWA control, characterising the breach of the premises as a serious violation of international norms.
