A damning new report reveals what we already intuitively knew – that the U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) maintains “routine” meetings and partnerships with Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, punching further holes in the agency’s claim of neutrality in its operations in Gaza and Lebanon. The 60-page report, titled “The Unholy Alliance: UNRWA, Hamas and Islamic Jihad” and published by Geneva-based watchdog UN Watch, details extensive cooperation between UNRWA officials and terrorist organizations, with mutual praise exchanged and policy influence granted to militant leaders. According to the findings, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini and top officials have permitted Hamas to infiltrate the agency’s workforce, indoctrinate Palestinian children, and install military infrastructure near or beneath UNRWA facilities. The report claims that over 10% of UNRWA’s senior educators in Gaza are Hamas or Islamic Jihad members, echoing longstanding Israeli assertions that hundreds of UNRWA’s 13,000 Gaza employees are active Hamas operatives. One explosive example cited is a May 2024 meeting in Beirut where Lazzarini allegedly struck a deal with Hamas and Islamic Jihad leaders, allowing Fathi al-Sharif – a Hamas figure and principal at an UNRWA school – to continue in his roles despite documented praise of terrorist attacks on social media. Israel assassinated al-Sharif on September 30, 2024. Hamas eulogized him as their leader in Lebanon and credited him with promoting “Jihadi education.” The report also highlights how UNRWA’s leadership has appeased Hamas in other instances. Leni Stenseth, former UNRWA deputy commissioner-general, personally met with Yahya Sinwar – the Hamas chief behind the October 7 massacre – following Hamas-led protests against UNRWA’s Gaza director. Stenseth removed the director from his position, allegedly at Hamas’s behest. Following the October 7 attacks, Israel has cracked down on the UNRWA, citing evidence that UNRWA employees participated in the massacre. On November 3, Israel formally severed ties with UNRWA, days after the Knesset passed legislation banning the agency’s operations within Israeli territory. Israel’s Land Authority further announced plans to demolish UNRWA’s field office in Jerusalem and replace it with a residential complex. The New York Times reported in early January that UNRWA planned to suspend operations in Gaza and the West Bank. UNRWA’s communications director quickly denied the claims, calling the report “grossly inaccurate.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)