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Short answer
Is UNRWA protecting the children of Gaza, or indoctrinating the next generation of terrorists? UN Watch revealed that over 10% of UNRWA’s senior educators in Gaza and Lebanon are members of Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Their textbooks glorify jihad, call Jews “enemies of Islam,” erase Israel from maps, and praise terrorists as “martyrs.”
European and US lawmakers have condemned UNRWA’s school textbooks and even frozen funding over this incitement, warning that such indoctrination helped fuel the October 7 massacre. As long as UNRWA controls Palestinian education, hate will be taught in classrooms, and violence will be the result.
Long answer
UNRWA, the UN agency responsible for running Palestinian schools in Gaza and Lebanon, has knowingly hired educators linked to Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad as teachers, principals, and union leaders.
UN Watch’s September 2025 report revealed that more than 10% of UNRWA’s senior educators in Gaza and Lebanon are members of designated terror groups. This means that large sections of the agency’s school system are effectively controlled by Hamas and Islamic Jihad operatives who shape the worldview of hundreds of thousands of children. Instead of promoting peace or tolerance, these educators blocked reforms such as Holocaust education or gender-rights lessons and insisted on preserving extremist material.
UNRWA textbooks continue to glorify jihad, call Jews “enemies of Islam,” erase Israel from maps, and praise terrorists as “martyrs.” In science and math workbooks, terrorists are featured as role models, with slogans like “We must sacrifice ourselves and become martyrs.” European and US lawmakers have condemned UNRWA and even frozen funding, warning that its curriculum contributed to the October 7 massacre.
One of the most notorious examples is Suhail Al-Hindi, a Gaza school principal and head of the UNRWA staff union who openly joined Hamas’ Political Bureau in 2017. Despite this, he retained influence over hiring and curriculum decisions while blocking attempts to remove incitement from classrooms. In Lebanon, Fateh Sharif mirrors the same pattern: head of the UNRWA Teachers’ Union by day, senior Hamas operative by night. He praised the October 7 massacre, urged teachers to erase Israel from maps, and coordinated Hamas activity while shaping school policy. UNRWA teachers were even caught celebrating the October 7 massacre in Telegram groups and posting memes praising rocket attacks on Israeli civilians.
UNRWA leadership cannot claim they “didn’t know.” For years, Hamas-controlled staff unions openly pressured them to cancel disciplinary measures and block reforms. Instead of removing radicalized personnel, UNRWA allowed it to continue, even rewarding union leaders with more influence. European Parliament resolutions, US officials, and British lawmakers like Dame Louise Ellman have all condemned UNRWA’s curriculum for fueling antisemitism and violence. UN Watch’s findings make it clear: UNRWA schools are not humanitarian institutions, they are platforms for hate, antisemitism, and the radicalization of children.
