UNESCO publicly mourned seven Gaza “journalists” killed by the IDF, but the men were later identified as members or commanders in Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, according to a new report by UN Watch.
The Geneva-based watchdog released the report Wednesday, accusing UNESCO, the UN’s education, science and culture agency, of repeatedly misidentifying terror operatives as journalists killed in Gaza and failing to correct the public record even after new evidence emerged.
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Left: UNESCO condemns journalist’s killing. Right: Hamas admits he was a terrorist
(Photo: UN Watch)
UN Watch said the report is based on UNESCO statements, IDF disclosures and publications by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad themselves. The organization is urging UNESCO to retract what it called false classifications, open an independent investigation and revise its procedures for verifying journalist deaths in conflict zones.
“When a UN agency publicly memorializes terrorist operatives as journalists, and fails to correct the record even after Hamas itself admits they were fighters, it undermines the credibility of the United Nations and harms the integrity of real journalists who risk their lives reporting from conflict zones,” said Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch.
(Photo: UN Watch)
The report, titled “UNESCO’s Misclassification of Terror Operatives as Journalists in Gaza,” documents cases in which UNESCO condemned the deaths of people it described as journalists, while later evidence allegedly identified them as members of the military wings of Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
In a letter sent Wednesday to UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Enany, Neuer called on the organization to correct its public records, launch an independent investigation and hold accountable those responsible for what he described as a “serious failure in the verification process.”
“UNESCO has become a conduit for Hamas propaganda,” Neuer said.
The report cites seven cases: Mohammed Manhal Abu Armana, Anas Al-Sharif, Mohammed Washah, Hamza Al-Dahdouh, Mustafa Thuraya, Mohammad Jarghoun and Mohamed Naser Abu Huwaidi. In each case, UN Watch says Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad or the IDF later identified the person as a member, fighter or commander in a terror organization.
(Photo: UN Watch)
In the case of Anas Al-Sharif, UNESCO condemned the killing of the Al Jazeera journalist along with several other media workers. UN Watch says the IDF had previously identified Al-Sharif as a Hamas terrorist in the East Jabaliya Battalion.
Another case cited in the report involves Mohammad Jarghoun, whom UNESCO said was shot while reporting on October 7, 2023. UN Watch says Hamas later claimed Jarghoun as a fighter in its Al-Qassam Rafah Brigade who was killed during the October 7 massacres.
The report also cites Mohammed Manhal Abu Armana, whom UNESCO described as a journalist for Palestine Now. UN Watch says Hamas posted a “mujahid martyr” video identifying Abu Armana as a platoon commander and showing him firing assault rifles and detonating explosives.
Left: UNESCO condemns journalist’s killing. Right: Islamic Jihad admits he was a terrorist
(Photo: UN Watch)
A fourth case involves Mohamed Naser Abu Huwaidi, whom UNESCO identified as a journalist for Al-Istiqlal newspaper. According to UN Watch, Palestinian Islamic Jihad claimed Abu Huwaidi as a “martyred” commander in its media war unit.
The watchdog also cited Mohammed Washah, whom UNESCO described as an Al Jazeera correspondent. UN Watch says the IDF had exposed Washah two years earlier as a commander in Hamas’ anti-tank missile unit, including in images showing him with rocket-propelled grenades.
According to UN Watch, UNESCO’s own methodology requires reports on the killing of journalists to be verified through multiple sources and updated when new evidence emerges. The watchdog said UNESCO’s failure to correct or withdraw inaccurate statements violates both its verification standards and the principles of integrity, independence and neutrality expected of international civil servants.
(Photo: UN Watch)
UN Watch called on UNESCO to retract all statements it says falsely identify terror operatives as journalists, publicly condemn Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad for embedding military operatives in media roles, and authorize an independent commission of inquiry into UNESCO’s verification procedures.
It also demanded that UNESCO identify officials responsible for the inaccurate statements and impose disciplinary measures where needed, including dismissal; publish the evidence and methodology used to classify every journalist death in Gaza since October 7, 2023; and adopt new safeguards to distinguish between civilian journalists and members of terror organizations.
“Press freedom depends on truth,” Neuer said. “UNESCO’s mission is to protect journalism, not whitewash the identities of terrorist operatives. The organization now has a duty to correct the record, investigate how these failures occurred and restore trust in its work.”