Israeli crews began demolishing the headquarters of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) in occupied East Jerusalem on Tuesday.

They bulldozed several buildings in the compound, which once housed dozens of agency staff.

UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini condemned the move, describing it as a "new level of open and deliberate defiance of international law, including of the privileges and immunities of the United Nations, by the State of Israel."

UNRWA has not used the building since early last year, after Israel ordered the agency to vacate all its premises and halt its operations. On Tuesday, Israeli forces confiscated devices and forced out the private security hired to guard the facility.

An Israeli flag now flies over the demolished site.

Israel accuses UNRWA of bias

Israel said the move enforces a law banning UNRWA, claiming some agency staff have ties to militant groups such as Hamas.

The United Nations has denied that UNRWA has an anti-Israel bias and said it acted quickly to purge any suspected militants among its staff.      

"This is a historic day, a day of celebration and a very important day for governance in Jerusalem," Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said.

He posted a video of himself at the site as the demolition work began. 

Israel's Foreign Ministry defended the demolitions, saying the state owns the compound.

"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.

Roland Friedrich, UNRWA's director in the West Bank, rejected the Israeli claim and insisted that the compound "remains United Nations property and is protected by the privileges and immunities of the UN, regardless of whether it is currently in use".

Palestinian Authority and Saudi Arabia condemn Israeli operation

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres called on Israel to halt the ⁠demolition ‍restore it and other ‌UNRWA premises to ‌the ⁠world body "without delay,"  deputy UN spokesperson Farhan ‌Haq ‌told reporters.

The Palestinian Authority condemned the Israeli actions too.

"The ministry warns of the gravity of this deliberate escalation against UNRWA, which comes within the framework of a systematic targeting of its role and UN mandate, and an attempt to undermine the international protection system for Palestinian refugees," the Foreign Ministry in Ramallah said in a statement.

Saudi Arabia, one of the key backers of Palestinian statehood, also condemned actions of the "Israeli occupation forces."

The kingdom also expressed its "support for UNRWA in its humanitarian mission to help the brotherly Palestinian people." 

UNRWA operates to provide humanitarian aid and health and social services to about 2.5 million Palestinian refugees in Gaza, the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, and 3 million more in Syria, Jordan and Lebanon.

Edited by: Sean Sinico