An independent watchdog organization recently released a report alleging that Hamas has assumed control of the education systems operated by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in Gaza and Lebanon.
The organization, UN Watch, titled its 220-page document “Schools in the Grip of Terror: How UNRWA Allowed Hamas Chiefs to Control Its Education System.”
According to the report, “These case studies show in detail how Hamas has hijacked UNRWA’s education through its domination of the local UNRWA staff unions, particularly the teachers’ sectors of the unions, enabling Hamas to control UNRWA schools — the physical facilities, teachers, and curriculum — including by preventing the agency from implementing changes to de-radicalize the curriculum, blocking efforts by UNRWA to discipline staff for inciting antisemitism and jihadi terrorism, and placing Hamas operatives in senior educator positions in schools.”
A State Department spokesperson informed Digital that the U.S. Administration views UNRWA as “irredeemably compromised” and is pursuing its complete dismantling, along with the recovery of unspent funds. The spokesperson added that other U.N. agencies and international partners are “more than capable” of delivering essential support.
Citing President Trump’s February 4 Executive Order on reviewing support for UN and international organizations, the spokesperson noted that “UNRWA has reportedly been infiltrated by members of groups long designated by the Secretary of State (Secretary) as foreign terrorist organizations, and UNRWA employees were involved in the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel.”
The spokesperson concluded by reiterating that President Trump and Secretary Rubio have consistently affirmed that Hamas will not govern Gaza again, a stance that includes institutions infiltrated by the group to maintain its power and influence.
UN Watch cited the 2021 expulsion of Matthias Schmale, a senior UNRWA international staff member who led the agency’s Gaza operation, as a key example of Hamas’s control over UNRWA’s education system. Schmale was reportedly removed after making an apparent pro-Israel comment in a media interview.
UN Watch claimed that Amir Al-Mishal, then head of the UNRWA Gaza Staff Union and an UNRWA Palestinian leader, coordinated with his predecessor Suhail Al-Hindi to remove Schmale in “less than 10 days.”
UN Watch also stated that Suhail Al-Hindi publicly associated with Hamas terrorist leaders for years during his employment with UNRWA, and the agency reportedly declined to dismiss him. Hamas is designated as a terrorist organization by both the U.S. and Europe.
Furthermore, UN Watch accused UNRWA of failing to terminate Fateh Sharif, who allegedly held dual roles for years as the head of the UNRWA Lebanon Teachers’ Union and a senior Hamas leader in Lebanon.
Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch, stated that donor governments, who have provided billions to UNRWA in the belief they were supporting peace and tolerance, must now face the “shocking truth” that “UNRWA’s classrooms have been hijacked by Hamas and turned into incubators of hate.” Neuer urged donor states to recognize they are “financing terror by proxy.”
UNRWA has faced a series of corruption and terrorism scandals throughout its history, with recent allegations suggesting its involvement in the mass murder of Israeli Jews and Americans.
Digital previously reported that former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant claimed Israel possessed evidence indicating that dozens of UNRWA employees participated in the October 7, 2023, massacre in southern Israel, which killed over 1,200 people.
In August, a U.S. State Department public assessment to Congress similarly concluded, “The administration has determined UNRWA is irredeemably compromised and now seeks its full dismantlement.”
Juliette Touma, an UNRWA spokeswoman, told Digital that the report is “part of a disinformation campaign” by the “so-called UN watchdog” that has targeted UNRWA for years. She asserted that the report contains “unsubstantiated claims” and aims to “destroy the agency” which provides crucial education and healthcare to “one of the most vulnerable in the region.”
Touma rejected the report’s findings, stating that most cases presented as new were not, with “90%, if not more,” already known to UNRWA and the “vast majority” having been found “unsubstantiated.”
The U.S. government previously ceased funding for UNRWA citing the agency’s alleged support for Hamas terrorists.