Israeli bulldozers began demolitions at the headquarters of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees in east Jerusalem on Tuesday, in what the organisation called an "unprecedented attack."

UNRWA spokesman Jonathan Fowler said in a statement that Israeli forces "stormed into" the compound shortly after 7.00 am local time and ejected security guards from the site, before bulldozers entered and began demolishing buildings.

"This is an unprecedented attack against UNRWA and its premises. And it also constitutes a serious violation of international law and the privileges and immunities of the United Nations," Fowler said.

"What happens today to UNRWA can happen tomorrow to any other international organisation or diplomatic mission around the world," he added.

UN chief Antonio Guterres urged "Israel to immediately cease the demolition... and to return and restore the compound and other UNRWA premises to the United Nations without delay," his spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters.

Roland Friedrich, the agency's director in the West Bank, called the move political.

Friedrich said "it seems the intent is to seize the land for settlement construction as has openly been stated by Israeli officials for many years in the media and elsewhere."

The Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority condemned the demolitions, warning of the "gravity of this deliberate escalation against UNRWA" and calling the move "an attempt to undermine the international protection system for Palestinian refugees."

Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir briefly visited the site.

"This is a historic day, a day of celebration and a very important day for governance in Jerusalem," Ben Gvir was quoted as saying in a statement.

Israel has repeatedly accused UNRWA of providing cover for Hamas militants, claiming that some of its employees took part in the group's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which sparked the war in Gaza.

A series of investigations, including one led by France's former foreign minister Catherine Colonna, found some "neutrality-related issues" at UNRWA but stressed Israel had not provided conclusive evidence for its headline allegation.

An Israeli foreign ministry statement defended the demolitions and said "the State of Israel owns the Jerusalem compound".

The compound in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem has been empty of UNRWA staff since January 2025, when a law banning its operations took effect after a months-long battle over its work in Gaza.

"UNRWA-Hamas had already ceased its operations at this site and no longer had any UN personnel or UN activity there," the foreign ministry said.

"The compound does not enjoy any immunity and the seizure of this compound by Israeli authorities was carried out in accordance with both Israeli and international law," it said. (AFP)