The Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education (IMPACT-se) found that at least one hundred Hamas terrorists are graduates of the UNRWA education system.

• They include murderers of Lucy Dee and her daughters on April 7, who fired 22 bullets at car at close range.

• At least 50% of school students in Gaza attend UNRWA schools; IMPACT-se reports show hate-teaching, incitement to violence in these schools.

• In further evidence of Hamas-UNRWA links, on October 16, UNRWA deleted a social media post alleging theft of fuel, medical supplies; likely bowed to Hamas pressure.

• $75 million in US aid given to UNRWA four days prior to Hamas attack, originally withheld over concerns that funds would be misused.

Research by the Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education (IMPACT-se)   has revealed that at least one hundred Hamas members who have carried out terror attacks against Israelis are graduates of the UNRWA education system.

More than 500,000 students study at schools in the Gaza Strip, with over half attending UNRWA-operated schools. IMPACT-se has published numerous reports on UNRWA school materials over the past few years, showing that the United Nations agency continues to teach hateful content that incites to violence, including a reading comprehension which celebrates the firebombing of an Israeli bus as a “barbecue party.” One such recent report documents dozens of examples from ten different UNRWA schools of hateful educational content that violates UN values, UNESCO standards, and UNRWA’s own supposed policy.

Notably, research has shown that the perpetrators of the terror attack against the Dee family on April 7, 2023 were graduates of UNRWA schools. Hassan Suleiman Qatnani and Moaz Saad Al-Masry, originally from the Askar Refugee Camp outside of Nablus, are listed as members of the Hamas military wing on its website, and are both described as having attended UNRWA schools. The website lists at least one hundred members of the Hamas military wing as UNRWA graduates.

Qatnani and Al-Masry opened fire at the car carrying Lucy Dee and two of her daughters, Maia and Rina, at close range, firing a total of 22 bullets from a Kalashnikov rifle. Maia and Rina were instantly killed, and Lucy died of her injuries three days after the attack. Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack, and said that the two perpetrators were members of the terror organization who had joined “at a young age.”

Qatnani’s father was an UNRWA employee and is the brother-in-law of Qatar-based Hamas Political Bureau member and spokesperson Hossam Badran, who was released in the deal to free Gilad Shalit. Qatnani joined the ranks of the Martyr Ghaz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades. According to his biography on the Hamas website, he “wished to ride the horse of jihad,” and “insisted on his mother praying for him that God would grant him martyrdom.”

Meanwhile, Al-Masry is described as “longing for the places of jihad and martyrdom,” and as having “wished [since childhood]to carry a gun one day to fight the enemies of God.”

Given the scale of the Hamas attacks against Israel on October 7, it is highly likely that many of the perpetrators are graduates of UNRWA-run schools in Gaza.

Furthermore, since October 7, further evidence of links between UNRWA and Hamas has come to light. On October 16, the agency deleted a Twitter post reporting that people in trucks said to be from the Hamas-run Ministry of Health had stolen fuel and medical equipment from the UNRWA compound in Gaza City. UNRWA later claimed that no looting had taken place, suggesting pressure from Hamas to retract its former statement.

Meanwhile, four days prior to the Hamas attacks, the United States approved the release of $75 million in aid for UNRWA. This had been temporarily withheld by Senator Jim Risch over long-standing concerns concerning UNRWA. There is evidence that such funds are misused, namely that food designated as aid is stolen by Hamas and resold.
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