Explosive New Investigation: Hamas Has Seized Control of UNRWA’s Education System

A new report is once again drawing attention to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), proving that the UN body has knowingly employed members of Hamas as teachers and principals, allowing the militant group to embed itself within the agency's school system. The 56-page investigation, titled “Schools in the Grip of Terror: How UNRWA Allowed Hamas Chiefs to Control Its Education System,” was published by the Geneva-based NGO U.N. Watch and claims that UNRWA’s schools in Gaza and Lebanon have been "hijacked by Hamas and turned into incubators of hate."

According to the report, donor nations have been providing approximately one billion dollars annually to UNRWA under the guise that they were supporting peace and tolerance. The director of U.N. Watch, Hillel Neuer, stated that their investigation reveals a difficult truth: that these donor states are in effect financing terror through a proxy. The report’s findings align with a long-standing position held by Israeli intelligence, which has concluded that at least fifteen percent of UNRWA’s senior educators in Gaza are members of Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The agency’s structure, with 30,000 employees but only 120 international officials, has allowed local unions, which are said to be effectively controlled by Hamas, to influence curriculum, hiring, and school administration.

The investigation provides specific examples to support its claims. One case study points to the 2021 removal of Matthias Schmale, the then-head of UNRWA in Gaza, after he made supportive comments about Israel in a media interview. He was reportedly forced out by Hamas-linked union leaders within ten days. In contrast, Suhail al-Hindi, a senior Hamas figure with ties to the UNRWA teachers’ union, retained his position for years and even made public appearances with Hamas leaders.

The report also highlights a disturbing pattern: some of the most prominent Palestinian terrorists, including perpetrators of the 1972 Munich Massacre and Mohammed Deif, the late commander of Hamas’s Al-Qassam Brigades, were graduates of UNRWA’s schools. The agency, which was established in 1949, has long faced criticism from Israel and its allies. The report goes beyond accusations of negligence, arguing that the issue is one of "institutional capture," stating that "UNRWA has handed children over to the very operatives who recruit child soldiers, glorify suicide bombers, and preach the annihilation of a U.N. member state." This new information on Hamas's influence over the agency's staff has already prompted serious debate in capitals around the world regarding the continuation of funding.