Watchdog demands apology after UN memorial erroneously honors Hamas terrorist
A United Nations memorial ceremony has drawn criticism after it honoured Imad Youssif El Samhouri, a former UNRWA employee later identified by Hamas as a field commander in its Al-Qassam Brigades. UN Watch has demanded apologies from UN Secretary-General António Guterres and General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock, arguing the incident raises concerns about UNRWA’s ability to prevent militant links among staff.
El Samhouri, who worked as a teacher and school principal for UNRWA, was among 136 UN employees commemorated at a June ceremony for personnel killed in 2025. A UN spokesperson said the agency was unaware of the allegations when his name was included, and said staff lists had been shared with Israel without concerns being raised; Israel’s UN ambassador rejected that explanation and said Israel had repeatedly warned the organisation about Hamas operatives within UNRWA.
- UN memorial mistakenly honoured former UNRWA employee identified by Hamas as a commander.
- Watchdog seeks apologies from senior UN officials.
- UN says it lacked prior knowledge; Israel disputes this.
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UNRWA is the United Nations agency that provides services, including education, to Palestinian refugees. Its staff have included teachers and school leaders, as well as people whose alleged links to armed groups have become a source of dispute.
Hamas is a Palestinian Islamist movement whose armed wing is called the Al-Qassam Brigades. The UN memorial was held for personnel who died in 2025; the disagreement over one person included in it has renewed questions about how UNRWA checks staff and how warnings about alleged militant links are handled.
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The case for
Those calling for accountability argue that the UN bears institutional responsibility for vetting those it honours publicly, particularly given longstanding concerns about UNRWA and allegations of militant infiltration. Regardless of when allegations against El Samhouri emerged, the incident reflects procedural failures and a need for stronger oversight and governance. They contend that apologies and demonstrable reform are necessary to restore confidence in the organisation's integrity and safeguards.
The case against
The UN's position is that memorial ceremonies appropriately honour deceased staff in their professional capacity, not as endorsements of alleged private affiliations. If allegations about El Samhouri only became known after the June ceremony, the memorial represented no institutional failure but rather an unfortunate circumstance beyond the organisation's control. They argue that retroactively condemning a ceremony for fallen workers based on subsequently-discovered claims sets an unfair standard and conflates honouring the dead with endorsing their alleged conduct.