UN rejects Palestinian over Hamas role

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees has suspended a Palestinian staff member after Israel alleged the employee was elected to a leadership position with the Islamist group Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Suhail al-Hindi, the chairman of the UNRWA Palestinian workers’ union in Gaza and the principal of a UNRWA elementary school, was suspended due to “substantial information” received by the agency, it said.

The Israeli defense body COGAT said al-Hindi was elected to Hamas’ politburo in a secret vote this month, though al-Hindi denied that.