UN Watch published a new report in Geneva, Switzerland, on Wednesday, titled "UNESCO's Misclassification of Terror Operatives as Journalists in Gaza," documenting repeated cases in which UNESCO publicly identified Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives as journalists killed in Gaza, despite later acknowledgments by the terrorist organizations themselves that the individuals were members of their military wings.
In a letter sent Wednesday to UNESCO Director-General Khaled el-Anany, UN Watch Executive Director Hillel Neuer called on the agency to correct its public records, open an independent investigation and hold accountable those responsible for what he described as a serious failure in the verification process.
"Conduit for Hamas disinformation"
"UNESCO has become a conduit for Hamas disinformation," Neuer said. "When a UN agency publicly memorializes terrorist operatives as journalists and does not correct the record even after Hamas itself acknowledges that they were fighters, this undermines the UN's credibility and harms the integrity of real journalists who risk their lives reporting from conflict zones."
The report points to seven cases in which UNESCO issued statements condemning the deaths of people it described as journalists, including Mohammed Abu Ermana, Anas al-Sharif, Mohammed Washah, Hamza al-Dahdouh, Mustafa Thuraya, Mohammed Jarghoun and Mohammed Nasser Abu Hweidi. In each of these cases, the report presents evidence that Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad or the Israel Defense Forces later identified the individuals as members or commanders in terrorist organizations.
According to UN Watch, UNESCO's own methodology requires reports on the deaths of journalists to be verified through multiple sources and updated when new evidence emerges. The organization argues that UNESCO's failure to correct or withdraw the inaccurate statements constitutes a violation of both its official verification standards and the principles of integrity, independence and neutrality that bind international civil servants.
"Press freedom depends on truth"
UN Watch is calling on UNESCO to "withdraw all statements falsely identifying terrorist operatives as journalists; publicly condemn Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad for embedding military operatives in media roles; authorize an independent commission of inquiry to examine UNESCO's verification procedures; and identify the officials responsible for the inaccurate statements and impose disciplinary sanctions as needed, including dismissal."
The organization also called on UNESCO to "publish the evidence and methodology used to determine the death of every journalist in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023; and adopt new safeguards to ensure that future statements distinguish between civilian journalists and members of terrorist organizations."
"Press freedom depends on truth," Neuer concluded. "UNESCO's mission is to protect journalism, not whitewash the identities of terrorist operatives. The organization now has a duty to correct the records, investigate how these failures occurred and restore trust in its work."
