Some two dozen teachers, counselors and administrators at UNRWA schools in Gaza are members of Hamas or other terror groups, according to a foreign media report published Sunday based on documents provided by Israel.

The materials, seized from terror groups during the ongoing war that began with Hamas’s October 7, 2023, massacre, shed further light on Israel’s longstanding contention that the United Nations agency responsible for aid to Palestinians — which administered some 288 schools in the enclave before the war — has fostered radicalism, and been used by terror groups in their efforts against Israel.

The documents viewed by The New York Times identify 24 employees at 24 different UNRWA schools — the majority of them principals or deputy principals — who are registered members of Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad; about half of them had documented possession of lethal weaponry, including assault rifles and hand grenades, provided by the terror groups, or participated in their training exercises.

Gaza residents interviewed by the Times said Hamas’s presence in UN schools was something of an open secret, with one UNRWA educator “regularly seen after hours in Hamas fatigues carrying a Kalashnikov,” according to the report.

Another school principal, a Hamas member who was issued an assault rifle and a handgun, reportedly has a photo on his Facebook page depicting him standing in front of a Hamas banner.

The report also noted the presence of Hamas tunnels in UNRWA schools. It also cited internal Hamas documents listing two schools in particular that were used for hiding weapons, and calling schools and other civilian sites “the best obstacles........

© The Times of Israel