A new report from a prominent independent watchdog group alleges that Hamas has seized control of the education systems run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in Gaza and Lebanon.

UN Watch’s 220-page report is titled “Schools in the Grip of Terror: How UNRWA Allowed Hamas Chiefs to Control Its Education System.”

The report claims that Hamas has taken over UNRWA’s education system by dominating the local UNRWA staff unions, especially the teachers’ sectors. This control allegedly allows Hamas to manage UNRWA schools – including the facilities, teachers, and curriculum. The report also claims Hamas prevents UNRWA from implementing changes to remove radical content from the curriculum, obstructs disciplinary actions against staff inciting antisemitism and terrorism, and places Hamas operatives in senior educational roles.

A State Department spokesperson told Digital that the Administration considers UNRWA to be irreparably compromised and seeks its complete dismantling and the return of any remaining funds. The spokesperson suggested that other U.N. agencies and international partners are better equipped to provide essential support.

The spokesperson referenced President Trump’s February 4 Executive Order regarding ending funding or reviewing support for certain U.N. and international organizations, stating 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 added that President Trump and Secretary Rubio have long maintained that Hamas will not govern Gaza again, including the institutions they have infiltrated to maintain their power.

UN Watch cites the expulsion of Matthias Schmale, a senior UNRWA official who headed the agency’s Gaza operation in 2021, as an example of Hamas’s control. Schmale was allegedly ousted for making a perceived pro-Israel comment in an interview.

UN Watch alleges that Amir Al-Mishal, the then-head of the UNRWA Gaza Staff Union, coordinated with his predecessor Suhail Al-Hindi to remove Schmale in less than 10 days.

UN Watch stated that Suhail Al-Hindi, while employed by UNRWA, publicly appeared with Hamas leaders for years, but UNRWA refused to fire him. The U.S. and Europe have designated Hamas as a .

UN Watch also accuses UNRWA of not dismissing Fateh Sharif, who allegedly simultaneously served as the head of the UNRWA Lebanon Teachers’ Union and as a senior Hamas leader in Lebanon for many years.

Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch, stated that governments have been donating billions to UNRWA believing they were investing in peace, but the investigation reveals that UNRWA’s classrooms have been taken over by Hamas and turned into incubators of hate. He argues that donor states must acknowledge that they are indirectly funding terrorism.

The report notes that UNRWA has faced numerous corruption and terrorism scandals over the years, including in the mass murder of Israeli Jews and Americans.

Digital that former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant claimed Israel has evidence that dozens of UNRWA employees participated in the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre in southern Israel, where more than 1,200 people were killed.

In August, Digital reported on a U.S. State Department assessment to Congress, which concluded that “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 long-standing disinformation campaign by UN Watch against UNRWA. She stated that the reporting is full of unsubstantiated claims and aims to destroy the agency, which provides essential education and healthcare in a region where few others are willing to work.

Touma dismissed the report, stating that most of the cases mentioned are not new and that the vast majority have been found to be unsubstantiated.

The U.S. government has stopped funding UNRWA due to its alleged support for Hamas terrorists.

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