After British Israeli freed hostage Emily Damari noted that she was held hostage in UNRWA facilities, there is now a campaign to clamp down on UNRWA.
By Rachel Avraham
The mother of freed hostage Emily Damari revealed last Friday that her daughter was held by Hamas at UNRWA facilities in the Gaza Strip, and that her captors refused to give her access to medical treatment, the Times of Israel reported. Emily lost two fingers in her left hand after being shot twice by Hamas terrorists during her abduction on October 7, 2023. Mandy, Emily’s mother, who like her daughter has British citizenship, proclaimed: “It’s a miracle that she survived, and we need to get aid to the remaining hostages now.”
After Emily Damari’s recent testimony, dozens of lawmakers from 14 European countries signed a letter to UN chief Antonio Guterres, proclaiming: “UNRWA has contravened all its missions and has helped a terrorist organization to hide hostages, which is politically, morally and legally highly reprehensible.” They call for the UNHCR, the UN agency mandated to aid all other refugees around the world, to take responsibility for the Palestinians as well and for UNRWA to be removed from the UN system, the Times of Israel reported.
Similarly, Arutz Sheva noted that in the wake of these developments, the United States is also ending its funding for UNRWA. “The United States and American citizens have been some of the most generous people in the entire world,” one policy adviser for Trump told the Mail. “But at this point, we have to understand that foreign policy is domestic policy, and if this is not aligned with our interests, then Uncle Sam should not be opening up his pocketbook any longer.”
This comes as Israel has cut off ties with UNRWA due to their link with terror groups. According to the Times of Israel, UNRWA, formally titled the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, is now banned from operating on Israeli soil, and contact between it and Israeli officials is also forbidden.
Israel’s Ambassador to the UN Danny Dannon explained Israel’s decision as follows: “This decision reflects years of efforts to address the grave accusations raised against UNRWA. This decision also reflects the reality of the situation: that UNRWA has miserably failed in its mandate and it has failed the people who were supposed to benefit from its services. This decision was not made lightly, nor was it made quickly. It was not a political decision; it was simply a necessary one. It follows decades of betrayal by an agency that has placed political agendas, neglect and coverups over humanitarian principles.”
According to him, “More precisely, this decision was driven by UNRWA’s constant refusal to address the widespread infiltration of its ranks by Hamas and other terrorist organizations. It is intolerable for any sovereign state to facilitate the operations of an agency that threatens its national security and blatantly violates its laws. Israel remains committed to its obligations under international law, and we reaffirm our readiness to cooperate with other UN agencies that are untainted by terror and committed to neutrality and accountability.”
According to UN Watch, Israeli intelligence estimated that 10% of UNRWA’s Gaza workforce are Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists while 50% or 6,000 UNRWA employees have immediate family members who are affiliated with these terror groups. Israeli intelligence found evidence that at least 12 UNRWA employees participated in the October 7th attack, including six that took part in the invasion, two that held hostages, and others that transported ammunition.
UN Watch added that Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said in a briefing to foreign press, “In addition to these 12 workers, we have significant indications based on intelligence, that over 30 UNRWA workers participated in the massacre, facilitated the taking of hostages, looted and stole from Israeli communities, and more.” Gallant added that 1,468 UNRWA workers are “known to be active in Hamas and PIJ,” including 185 who “are active in the military branches of Hamas” and 51 who “are active in the PIJ military branch.”
According to the report, 24 teaching staff at UNRWA schools, most of them in senior leadership positions, were confirmed to be registered members of terror groups with roughly half of them having documented possession of firearms and explosives. Despite receiving written warnings from the Israeli government regarding specific employees’ terrorist affiliations, UNRWA did not fire them. And now, it has emerged that Emily Damari was held in UNRWA facilities, but was denied access to UNRWA medicines, which has created a storm in Israel, Europe and the United States.
