UNRWA School Principal Is Elected to Hamas' New Gaza Political Bureau

"Elections were recently held for Hamas' political bureau in the Gaza Strip, the movement's supreme institution in Gaza. Fifteen members were elected, headed by Yahya Sinwar. It has a large number of members affiliated with Hamas' military wing and is dominated by members who hold extremist views.

One of the newly-elected members is Dr. Suhail Ahmed Hassan al-Hindi, who holds a PhD from Cairo University (his thesis dealt with improving the conditions of Palestinians teachers under the Israeli 'occupation'). Since 2012 he has been the chairman of the UNRWA staff union in the Gaza Strip, controlled by Hamas. In 2015 and 2016 he led demonstrations protesting UNRWA's intention to reduce its activities in Gaza because of budget cutbacks...

In addition to his role as union chairman, he is also the principal of the Palestine Boys' Elementary School, an UNRWA school for refugee children...

Dr. Suhail al-Hindi's name appeared on the list of the members of Hamas' newly-elected political bureau published in the Palestinian media. In ITIC assessment, the list is reliable (a 'senior Hamas source' confirmed the authenticity of the names to the Quds Press news agency).

After his election had been publicly announced, Dr. al-Hindi issued a series of vigorous denials, claiming he had not been elected to the bureau. He even claimed he planned to sue those responsible for the reports. So far, Hamas has not formally related to the issue of his election.

In ITIC assessment, Dr. al-Hindi's denial should be viewed with suspicion. His vigorous denials may be the result of the fact that publicizing his election will make difficulties for him (and Hamas) in dealing with UNRWA. In the past UNRWA objected to its staff belonging to Hamas or other organizations, although the agency never took decisive action to enforce its objections...

The election of Dr. Suhail al-Hindi to Hamas' political bureau in the Gaza Strip is another illustration of Hamas' deep penetration into the Gaza Strip's educational system and of the great power of its activists in UNRWA institutions in the Strip. That allows Hamas to systematically indoctrinate Gazan school children with its extremist Islamist ideology. In addition, Hamas' great influence on the educational system in the Gaza Strip enables it to hold paramilitary activities within schools, training young children to join Hamas and the ranks of its military wing..."