UN Watch Accuses UNESCO of Listing Hamas, PIJ Operatives as Gaza Journalists

Key Facts

Published: July 8, 2026 Location: Jerusalem Source: UN Watch

• UN Watch accused UNESCO of repeatedly listing alleged Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives killed in Gaza as journalists, despite later evidence or claims tying several of them to terrorist organizations.
• The report calls for UNESCO to review and correct its Gaza journalist casualty records, arguing that misidentifying terror operatives as media workers damages press freedom and undermines the credibility of international institutions.

by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief

(Worthy News) – UN Watch released a report Wednesday accusing UNESCO of repeatedly identifying alleged Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives killed in Gaza as journalists, while failing to correct the record after terror affiliations were later reported or acknowledged.

The report, titled UNESCO’s Misidentification of Terrorist Operatives as Journalists in Gaza, says UNESCO issued public condemnations following the deaths of several Gaza-based media workers after the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led massacre in Israel. UN Watch claims that in multiple cases, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, or Israeli military documents later identified those individuals as members or operatives of terrorist organizations.

Among the cases cited were Mohammad Sami Jarghoun, whom UN Watch said was later recognized by Hamas’s Al-Qassam Brigades as a member of its Rafah Brigade; Mohamed Naser Abu Huwaidi, described by Palestinian Islamic Jihad as a commander in its “media war unit”; and Hamza Al Dahdouh, whom Israeli military documents allegedly identified as a deputy commander in PIJ’s rocket array.

The watchdog also cited later cases involving Mustafa Thuraya, Mohammed Manhal Abu Armana, Anas Al-Sharif, and Mohammed Washah, arguing that UNESCO’s statements omitted evidence of alleged combat or terror-related roles. UN Watch said the pattern undermines UNESCO’s credibility and weakens its stated mission to defend genuine journalists and press freedom worldwide.

UN Watch called on UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Enany to review all Gaza journalist casualty statements issued since October 7, 2023, retract or correct inaccurate entries, and launch an independent investigation into the agency’s verification procedures. The group also urged UNESCO to adopt a formal policy requiring officials to determine whether a deceased individual was serving in a military or combat-support role before publicly identifying that person as a journalist.

The report comes amid ongoing scrutiny of how international organizations classify casualties in Gaza, where terrorist groups have long been accused of embedding operatives inside civilian institutions, including media, medical, and humanitarian networks. UN Watch argued that misidentifying such operatives as journalists not only distorts the public record but also endangers legitimate reporters by blurring the distinction between press work and terrorist activity.

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