UNRWA Employee, Top Hamas Commander, Killed in Lebanon Airstrike
A top Hamas commander killed in a Lebanese airstrike on Monday was a suspended employee of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), The Associated Press reports, citing the agency.
Fatah Sharif, who was killed along with his family in the southern port city of Tyre, was suspended from his position in March after allegations of his ties to the militant group surfaced.
Sharif’s connection to Hamas has further intensified scrutiny of UNRWA, already grappling with a $80 million funding shortfall this year. Critics have repeatedly accused the agency of failing to adequately address the presence of Hamas militants within its ranks.
The incident comes amidst a long-standing investigation by the UN’s internal watchdog into UNRWA, initiated after Israel accused 12 of its staffers of involvement in the October 7 attack on Israel. The allegations resulted in funding suspension from over a dozen donor countries, leading to an initial $450 million shortfall. Since then, all but the United States have resumed funding.
While Sharif’s affiliation with Hamas was not publicly known, Israel has previously accused UNRWA of being infiltrated by the Palestinian militant group. UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini confirmed receiving allegations of Sharif’s affiliation with Hamas in March and immediately launched an investigation. He also acknowledged receiving a list from Israeli authorities containing names of approximately 100 individuals allegedly linked to Hamas but claimed that no further information was provided upon UNRWA’s request for investigation purposes.
The UNRWA teachers’ union and other Palestinian groups have staged protests outside the agency’s office in Beirut since Sharif’s suspension, accusing UNRWA of targeting him for his political beliefs.
Israel has been harshly critical of UNRWA and its leadership, accusing it of being a breeding ground for Hamas. UNRWA employs 32,000 staff in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and the Palestinian territories, providing essential services like education, healthcare, and food to millions of Palestinians and their families.
The Israeli military confirmed targeting Sharif in the airstrike.
UNRWA facilities in Gaza, where thousands of Palestinians have sought shelter during the recent conflict, have been repeatedly attacked. The agency has confirmed the death of 223 UNRWA staffers in Gaza during the war, the highest number in a single conflict for UN employees.
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, 41,615 people have been killed in the Israeli offensive in Gaza, with no distinction made between civilians and combatants.
