In a revelation that will surprise exactly no one who’s been paying attention, The New York Times has confirmed that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) employs Hamas members — a fact Israel has been shouting from the rooftops for years.

In what feels more like a reluctant admission than groundbreaking journalism, the Times reported on Saturday that at least 24 staff members in UNRWA schools across Gaza are affiliated with Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). This comes after Israel handed over a list of 100 alleged terrorists employed by the agency months ago, a list that evidently took the Times this long to validate.

According to the Times’ own investigation, based on documents Israel obtained during its military campaign and interviews with Gaza residents and former UNRWA employees, the terrorists on UNRWA’s payroll aren’t just teachers or counselors. No, many are top administrators—principals and deputy principals—moonlighting as fighters in Hamas’s Qassam Brigades. One deputy principal, Ahmad al-Khatib, was highlighted as a squad commander who kept a stash of weapons, including a Kalashnikov and hand grenades.

But here’s the kicker: Gaza residents interviewed by the Times said this was an “open secret.” One teacher was reportedly seen after hours in full Hamas fatigues carrying a Kalashnikov, as if his night gig as a terrorist were just part of his résumé.

Israel has been supplying damning evidence about UNRWA’s ties to Hamas for months. In July, the Israeli Foreign Ministry released a list of 108 UNRWA employees allegedly working for Hamas. In October, the Knesset voted to ban UNRWA entirely, calling it a “rotten tree” thoroughly infested with terrorists.

Prime Minister’s Office spokesman David Mencer said, “We have provided much evidence that UNRWA works hand-in-hand with Hamas,” referencing incidents such as Hamas tunnels being discovered under UNRWA schools and even a Hamas server farm beneath the agency’s headquarters in Gaza City.

Despite these repeated exposés, the Times has only now decided to validate the obvious: that Hamas uses UNRWA schools as operational bases and a shield for its terrorist activities. This includes viewing civilian facilities, like schools, as “the best obstacles to protect the resistance,” according to captured Hamas documents.

Hamas’s use of UNRWA isn’t confined to Gaza. The Times noted that Fateh Sherif Abu el-Amin, a Hamas leader in Lebanon killed in an airstrike in September, was not only the principal of a UNRWA-run school but also oversaw 65 schools and 39,000 students.

This “discovery” underscores what watchdogs and Israel have said for years: UNRWA isn’t just turning a blind eye to terrorism—it’s actively enabling it.

While the Times may consider its findings an investigative coup, for anyone following the facts, this report feels like a rehash of information that has been obvious for years. UNRWA’s entanglement with Hamas is no secret, and Israel has been consistently exposing these ties long before the Times decided to weigh in.

So, congratulations to The New York Times for catching up—albeit a few dozen confirmations late. Perhaps next time they’ll spare us the investigative theater and just acknowledge what’s been plain as day from the start.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)