Tipsheet

UNRWA Confirms Hamas Leader in Lebanon Was One of Their Own

Rebecca Downs
Rebecca Downs  |  September 30, 2024 6:15 PM

There have long been concerns that the UNRWA, an agency of the anti-Israel United Nations, has been infested with terrorists. The agency confirmed that Fateh Sharif, who served as Hamas' leader in Lebanon, worked for them. He was even the chairman of their Teachers' Association and was principal of the UNRWA-run Deir Yassin Secondary School. He was one of the many terrorists killed in recent days by Israeli Air Force strikes. 

The agency appears to be trying to cover for these connections to terrorists. "Fateh Al Sharif was an UNRWA employee who was put on administrative leave without pay in March, and was undergoing an investigation following allegations that UNRWA received about his political activities," a statement from the agency to The Times of Israel read. 

As United Nations Watch Executive Director Hillel Neuer has been posting throughout the day, though, Sharif's ties to Hamas was known by "Everyone in Lebanon." His organization also revealed Sharif's connections back in June. 

The UNRWA Lebanon Director Claudio Cordone also awarded Sharif with a "Certification of Appreciation."

More coverage from The Times of Israel includes more information about Sharif, making clear he wasn't merely some low-level employee:

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The IDF and Shin Bet in a joint statement confirm that the commander of Hamas in Lebanon was killed in an airstrike overnight.

The statement describes Fateh Sherif as the “head of the Lebanon branch of the Hamas terror organization.”

According to the military, Sherif was responsible for coordinating Hamas’s activity in Lebanon with Hezbollah, as well as Hamas’s “force build-up efforts in Lebanon, in the field of recruiting operatives and procuring weapons.”

He “worked to advance the interests of Hamas in [Lebanon], both politically and militarily,” the statement says.

After it was reported in January that a number of UNRWA staffers were involved in the October 7 attacks that Hamas perpetrated against Israel, the Biden-Harris administration finally paused funding to the group. That being said, the pause still only applied to new commitments. The admission from UNRWA about such employees came in early August, and nine employees were fired. 

Damning revelations have continued to come out about UNRWA, as Townhall has been covering throughout the year. For instance, it was discovered in July that a Hamas command center and weapons were found at UNRWA headquarters in Gaza City. 

So-called progressives in Congress have still demanded that UNRWA receive funding though, with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), of the particularly anti-Israel Squad, throwing a temper tantrum at the time when those new commitments were cut off. 

Just late last week, progressive members, including the particularly anti-Israel Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), as well as Rep. André Carson (D-IN) and Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), introduced a bill to restore UNRWA funding, as Leah covered at the time. 

Republicans, however, have issued calls to permanently cut off UNRWA funding.

"UNRWA’s confirmation that the head of Hamas forces in Lebanon, Fateh Sherif, was their employee is the latest proof that the United Nations has become a cesspool of antisemitism. President Trump rightfully cut off taxpayer dollars from funding UNRWA while Joe Biden and Kamala Harris outrageously reversed this decision and provided funding for an organization whose employees directly participated in the October 7th terrorist attacks against our most precious ally Israel. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris must permanently cut off UNRWA funding, revoke its tax-exempt status, and provide oversight of every U.S. dollar the UN receives," said Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), the House Republican Conference chairwoman.

In response to Secretary-General António Guterres recently praising the UNRWA and calling for more support, Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL) chimed in with a reminder of the terrorist connections and an insistence that taxpayer dollars should be cut off.

Mast introduced legislation in January to permanently defund the agency.

Despite calls for him to further address the situation, UNRWA Commissioner-General Phillippe Lazzarini has yet to post about the connection Sharif had to the UNRWA. 

The UNRWA account has, however, posted since then, including the most recent post calling for a "#CeasefireNow." There's another post that includes comments from Lazzarini to promote his agency and the supposed "education" provided for any "transition to be successful" in Gaza. Such remarks are particularly rich considering that his agency, including schools, is infested with terrorist leaders.