The Hamas leader in Lebanon – who was killed in an Israeli airstrike – had been covertly working as a teacher for the United Nations agency responsible for Palestinian refugees.
Fateh Sharif was assassinated last Monday alongside his wife and two children in a Palestinian refugee camp in Tyre.
According to Israeli military officials, he played a key role in managing and facilitating communications between Hamas and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
In March, UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, suspended Sharif without pay while investigating his involvement in activities deemed to violate the agency’s rules governing staff behaviour.
Fateh Sharif was killed in an Israeli airstrike
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Sharif’s death came as Israel launched its first airstrike on central Beirut, targeting the predominantly Sunni Muslim Cola district and killing three leaders of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).
Hamas said he was killed with his wife, son and daughter in a “terrorist and criminal assassination”.
On Monday, UNRWA told The Times of Israel that Sharif has remained on unpaid administrative leave while the investigation into his political activities is still ongoing.
His suspension led to furious protests outside UNRWA’s offices in Beirut as campaigners demanded that the decision was repealed.
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The disclosure of Sharif’s employment with UNRWA is likely to intensify international scrutiny of the agency.
Israel has accused 12 UNRWA staff members in Gaza of participating in the October 7 Hamas-led attack.
The allegations saw more than a dozen donors, including the UK, suspend funding.
After an investigation, UNRWA dismissed nine employees in August, citing possible involvement in the attack.
Smoke and dust rises after strike in LebanonREUTERS
Most donors have resumed funding, with the exception of the US.
UNRWA has acknowledged the potential ties of some staff to armed groups and is reviewing safeguards to ensure its neutrality.
The organisation also reported that over 200 of its employees have been killed in Gaza since Israel’s military campaign began last year.