Overview

• The report claims UNRWA employed Hamas figures as principals, teachers, and union heads in Gaza and Lebanon, asserting institutional rather than isolated infiltration.
• UN Watch estimates that over 10%—and in some accounts at least 15%—of senior education staff in Gaza belong to Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
• Case studies include Suhail Al‑Hindi’s long tenure in UNRWA’s system despite Hamas ties, a dispute over whether he was effectively removed in 2017, and the 2021 removal of Gaza director Matthias Schmale after pressure from Hamas‑linked union leaders.
• The report alleges that some staff praised militant acts on social media, that classroom materials glorified martyrdom and erased Israel on maps, and that tunnels existed under or near certain schools.
• Western governments supply roughly $1 billion annually to UNRWA, and the findings have renewed debates in Washington, Brussels, and Jerusalem over continued funding.