MFA Report: The Connection Between UNRWA and Hamas in Gaza

According to an April 2025 Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) report, UNRWA in Gaza has been deeply infiltrated by Hamas, with at least 1,462 of its employees, 12%, linked to terrorist groups. Hamas operatives held key roles, including school principals and engineers, allowing the group to exploit UNRWA facilities for tunnels, weapons storage, rocket launches, and intelligence operations. Some staff even took part in the October 7th attacks. Hamas’s use of UNRWA infrastructure was part of a long-term strategy to embed its terror network within civilian institutions.

The following is an executive summary of the report. For the full report, click here.

UNRWA in Gaza has been deeply infiltrated by operatives from Hamas and other terrorist organizations. The presence of nearly 1,500 Hamas operatives, according to the current count, including from its military wing, in key positions in UNRWA (school principals, engineers, medical workers, finance, security, etc.) has enabled Hamas to exploit the agency’s extensive infrastructure and resources for its terror activities against Israeli civilians and armed forces, particularly on and since October 7th. Hamas’s systematic use of UNRWA facilities as a cover for tunnels, weapons caches, command centers, rocket launchers and attack positions was meticulously planned and prepared years before the current war.

Key findings:

Among the 12,521 UNRWA employees in the Gaza Strip, at least 1,462 (12%) are members of Hamas or other designated terrorist organizations.
Out of 546 principals and deputy-principals in UNRWA’s education facilities, at least 80 (15%) are members of terrorist organizations.
UNRWA employees actively participated in the October 7th attacks on Israel.
Throughout the current war and long before it, Hamas systematically exploited UNRWA’s facilities, equipment and infrastructure as a method of warfare.
Hamas dug terror tunnels intentionally under UNRWA schools placing shafts in or next to those facilities. In at least two confirmed cases, the schools’ principals were Hamas military wing members.
Hamas operated the advanced server farm of its central intelligence command center underneath UNRWA’s Gaza headquarters using electricity from that facility.
Hamas regularly fired rockets from areas adjacent to UN institutions, especially from the vicinity of UNRWA schools.

Source: “The Connection Between UNRWA and Hamas in Gaza,” Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, (April 23, 2025).