October 1, 2024
Hamas boss 'eliminated' A senior Hamas official killed in an Israeli airstrike yesterday has been revealed to also have been a top educator employed by a controversial UN aid organisation that had its funding from the Albanese government doubled despite its employees' links to terrorism.
Fateh Sherif Abu al-Amine, leader of the Hamas terror organisation in Lebanon, was killed by an Israeli airstrike in the southern Lebanese city of Tyre.
According to the Times of Israel, Sherif was also principal of the Deir Yassin Secondary School, run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) which is charged with providing education and other services to Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon. The revelations have led to further criticism of the Albanese government's decision to double Australian taxpayer funding to UNRWA, a move it undertook shortly after taking office.
"It is thoroughly unsurprising to learn yet another Hamas member worked for UNRWA but this is the most senior one yet," shadow home affairs minister Senator James Paterson.
"It's utterly untenable for anyone to continue to deny the connections between the utterly compromised UNRWA and listed terrorist organisation Hamas.
"This makes the Albanese government's decision to resume funding UNRWA despite being warned, even more scandalous. How can we have any confidence Australian taxpayer funds haven't found their way into the hands of terrorists?" Earlier this year UNRWA fired nine Gaza-based staffers for allegedly participating in the October 7 massacres in Israel, while thinktank UN Watch has reported multiple instances of UNRWA employees in Gaza celebrating the atrocities.
One Gaza teacher employed by UNRWA posted online, "Allah is Great, Allah is Great, reality surpasses our wildest dreams" as the massacre was taking place.''
The revelation comes as Israel last night confirmed it had "eliminated'' Sherif.
"Overnight ... the IAF (air force) struck and eliminated the terrorist Fateh Sherif, head of the Lebanon branch in the Hamas terrorist organisation," the military said in a statement.
It said he "was responsible for coordinating Hamas' terror activities in Lebanon with Hezbollah operatives. He was also responsible for Hamas' efforts in Lebanon to recruit operatives and acquire weapons."
Last night, Israeli troops were preparing to march across the Lebanon border as a full-scale attack drew closer.
"If Hezbollah won't hand over their weapons ... the Israeli Defence Force is going to go in there and take the weapons off them," intelligence expert Anthony Glees told the London Sun.
