UNRWA’s Dark Secret: Hamas Terrorists Still on Payroll, Including Oct. 7 Kidnapper
Israel has uncovered evidence that Hamas operatives, including a driver involved in the October 7 abductions and a principal linked to chemical weapons, remain on UNRWA’s payroll. The findings, coupled with longstanding allegations and legal actions, highlight systemic issues within the agency, prompting calls for its defunding.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry has disclosed disturbing evidence that multiple Hamas terrorists remain employed by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), including a driver involved in the October 7, 2023, abductions and a school principal tied to Hamas’s chemical weapons unit. Amir Weissbrod, the ministry’s deputy director-general for U.N. affairs, revealed that UNRWA’s latest employee list, submitted to Israel, still includes known Hamas operatives, despite warnings dating back to 2011. “Nothing new under the sun with UNRWA,” Weissbrod stated. “Some of these names were passed to the U.N. back in 2011. Nothing was done. They’re still employed.”
Among the accused, Mohammad Abi Itiwi, an UNRWA driver killed by Israeli forces in August 2024, “participated in the kidnapping of young Israelis from a bomb shelter near Kibbutz Re’im” on October 7, yet remains listed as an active employee receiving funds. Naji Abdullah Abu Aziz, an UNRWA school principal, is identified as part of Hamas’s chemical manufacturing unit. “We shared this information with the U.N. in 2011 and again in 2024. He’s still working there,” Weissbrod said. Khalid Said El-Masry, another principal, is alleged to have concealed a Hamas tunnel under his school, with Israel’s notifications to the U.N. ignored. Weissbrod provided photographic evidence of these individuals’ dual roles, noting, “These are just a few examples, but they show why no responsible government should be funding UNRWA if it wants to keep its money out of Hamas’s hands.”
The revelations follow a U.N. probe confirming nine UNRWA staff were “likely or very likely” involved in the October 7 attacks, which killed 1,200 and saw 251 abducted. The Trump administration recently labeled UNRWA “irredeemably compromised,” urging its dissolution. A U.S. federal lawsuit filed in July 2025 by victims of Hamas and Hezbollah attacks accuses UNRWA of aiding terrorism, seeking $1 billion in damages. Israel’s January 2025 ban on UNRWA operations, citing its 13,000 Gaza employees’ ties to Hamas, including 450 military operatives, intensifies scrutiny. Social media on X reflects outrage, with one user stating, “UNRWA’s Hamas links are undeniable, why fund terror?” UNRWA claims vetting limitations, but Weissbrod insists, “These are not isolated cases. They are systemic.”