Israel has announced the killing of a Hamas commander who was a United Nations official.

On Wednesday, October 24, the Israeli military announced the elimination of a Hamas commander who took part in attacks on Israel and worked for UNRWA. “The Israeli military said that Mohammed Abu Itiwi, a Hamas commander who was involved in the killing and kidnapping of Israeli civilians, was killed on Wednesday. It is also noted that he had worked for UNRWA since July 2022 and his name appeared on the list of employees,” Reuters reported. UNRWA has not yet commented on these allegations. Also on Wednesday, a UNRWA staff member was killed during an Israeli strike in the central Gaza Strip.

Israeli intelligence has previously reported that some UNRWA employees were involved in Hamas attacks on Israel. According to them, about 190 UNRWA employees, including teachers, were also Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad militants. In August, the UN confirmed that nine UNRWA employees took part in the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.