In a damning revelation, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) disclosed that nine Hamas terrorists, including several employed by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), were killed in a recent airstrike on the Al Jaouni School in Nuseirat, central Gaza. This operation highlights the grave extent to which Hamas has infiltrated and exploited UNRWA for its terrorist activities, using civilian structures and international platforms as shields for their operations.
Terrorists Masquerading as Humanitarian Workers
Among those neutralized were three UNRWA employees: Muhammad Adnan Abu Zayd, Yasser Ibrahim Abu Sharar, and Ayad Matar. Far from being innocent humanitarian workers, these individuals were active members of Hamas’s military wing, directly involved in launching attacks against Israel. Abu Zayd, for example, launched mortars as part of his terrorist duties, while Abu Sharar held dual roles in both the Izzadin al-Qassam Brigades and Hamas’s emergency bureau in Nuseirat. Ayad Matar similarly juggled his UNRWA employment with his role in the military wing of Hamas.
Israel has confirmed the identities of nine Hamas terrorists killed in the airstrike that targeted a command and control post inside a Gaza school compound.
— Avi Mayer אבי מאיר (@AviMayer) September 12, 2024
Three of them were employed by @UNRWA.@AntonioGuterres: Enough is enough. Resign now. pic.twitter.com/oPY2pHkmpa
The revelation that UNRWA employees were engaged in terror activities has sent shockwaves through the international community, raising urgent questions about the UN agency's oversight and the extent of Hamas's penetration into supposedly neutral and humanitarian organizations.
The UN’s Outrage: A Stark Disconnect from Reality
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the deaths of six UNRWA staff members without acknowledging their involvement in terrorism. His remarks were met with sharp criticism from Israeli officials, who argued that the UN's continued failure to hold its staff accountable for colluding with terror groups only emboldens such groups. Israeli Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, expressed his frustration, stating: "These murderers are not aid workers. They are terrorists with blood on their hands and were rightly eliminated." Meanwhile, the United Nation's agency has refused to name the employees they claim were killed in the strike. Israeli sources have argued that UNRWA is refusing to name them because it would confirm Israel's account that some of the employees were in fact terrorists who took part in the October 7 attacks.
How surprising is it that the “UNRWA workers” who were killed yesterday in the IDF attack are in fact NINE terrorists with blood on their hands, and some of them took part in the barbaric massacre on October 7?
— Danny Danon 🇮🇱 דני דנון (@dannydanon) September 12, 2024
How long will the UN continue to bury its head in the sand and… pic.twitter.com/gy9dds3XKJ
Despite Israel's requests for transparency regarding the identities of the deceased staff members, UNRWA has not cooperated fully, further fuelling suspicions about the organization's entanglement with Hamas. The IDF’s findings expose a troubling pattern of UNRWA being used as a cover for terrorist activities, undermining the very humanitarian principles it claims to uphold.
A History of Hamas Exploiting Civilian Infrastructure
This incident is not an isolated case but part of a broader, alarming trend of Hamas exploiting civilian and UNRWA facilities for military purposes. Since October 7, there have been multiple documented instances of Hamas using schools, hospitals, and other civilian structures to shield their fighters and weaponry. In recent months, IDF strikes have frequently targeted Hamas command centers embedded within such locations, resulting in the elimination of numerous terrorists who were hiding behind the facade of humanitarian protection.
In July, IDF forces uncovered Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad war rooms within UNRWA headquarters, stocked with explosives, drones, and a cache of weapons. Earlier in May, a raid on an UNRWA school revealed a vast collection of terrorist armaments, underscoring how deeply ingrained these terrorist elements are within UNRWA’s operations.
International Scrutiny and Consequences
The repeated exposure of UNRWA's entanglement with terror has sparked international scrutiny and led several countries to suspend or withdraw funding from the agency. The situation escalated after watchdog group UN Watch revealed that many UNRWA employees had openly supported Hamas’s brutal attacks on October 7, including participation in a 3,000-member Telegram group where staffers praised these attacks.
Of course UNRWA bags were in the tunnel along with the hostges.
— Marina Medvin 🇺🇸 (@MarinaMedvin) September 10, 2024
The UNRWA assistance to Palestinian terrorists needs to be fully and deeply investigated. pic.twitter.com/HgZ6jWydUP
The IDF’s latest revelations should serve as a wake-up call to the international community. It is not merely a question of inadequate oversight; it is a fundamental betrayal of the trust placed in UNRWA to provide neutral humanitarian aid. As long as terrorists continue to hide behind UN labels, the UN’s credibility and the safety of civilians in conflict zones will remain in jeopardy.
Conclusion: A Call for Accountability
The IDF’s operation at the Al Jaouni School and the subsequent exposure of Hamas’s infiltration into UNRWA demand immediate and decisive action from the international community. There can be no tolerance for the use of humanitarian agencies as fronts for terrorist operations. It is imperative that UNRWA and the UN at large enforce stringent accountability measures to root out these elements, lest they continue to be complicit in perpetuating violence and terror under the guise of aid.
What is "unacceptable,” @antonioguterres, is the fact you refuse to recognize reality and continue to distort it.
— Danny Danon 🇮🇱 דני דנון (@dannydanon) September 12, 2024
Terrorists operating out of civilian buildings previously used by @UNRWA are not "innocent." It is unconscionable that the UN continues to condemn Israel in its… https://t.co/ThWltXRqFY
The time has come for the UN to confront the reality that its agencies have been compromised and to take a firm stand against the terrorists who have hijacked its mission. Only through such resolute action can the UN begin to restore its integrity and truly serve the people of Gaza, free from the shadow of Hamas’s terror.
