An Israeli mother whose son was shot and kidnapped by a United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) employee on October 7 confronted the United Nations Human Rights Council, accusing the international body of ignoring Israeli victims while defending the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, Yedioth Achronot reported.
By Rachel Avraham
An Israeli mother whose son was shot and kidnapped by a United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) employee on October 7 confronted the United Nations Human Rights Council, accusing the international body of ignoring Israeli victims while defending the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, Yedioth Achronot reported. According to the report, Ayelet Samerano addressed 193 ambassadors, demanding accountability for her son, Yonatan Samerano, who is held in Gaza.
“Mr. Rapporteur, in your report, you claim that the reputation of UNRWA is under attack,” Samerano declared. “I speak today as a mother. My son Yonatan, 21-years-old, was shot on October 7. Then, an UNRWA social worker kidnapped him. Right now Yonatan is still held by terrorists in Gaza. So, I know what an attack is. An attack is when terrorists including UNRWA employees enter a music festival and murder innocent young people. An attack is when an UNRWA social worker paid by this organization kidnapped my son into Gaza, a UN employee who took it upon himself to do good yet did evil.”
Samerano continued, “No, UNRWA is not under attack. UNRWA is the attacker. An UNRWA teacher held an 84-year-old captive. Terrorists held Emily Damari captive in an UNRWA building. UNRWA’s entire infrastructure helped Hamas to kill our children. You talk about human rights. What about Yonatan’s human rights? What about the hostages still suffering in Gaza right now? Mr. Rapporteur, your report speaks of the death of UNRWA staff, does this include the UNRWA social worker who kidnapped my son Yonatan?”
Earlier in the month, the Israeli Foreign Ministry submitted written testimony to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), detailing the close ties between UNRWA and the Hamas terrorist organization in connection with the Oct. 7, 2023 massacre, the Times of Israel reported. According to the report, the Israeli Foreign Ministry criticized what it called a “distorted process” by the international organizations, where the outcome was “predetermined.”
“The process ignores the atrocities of October 7 and the shameful involvement of UNRWA employees in the October 7 massacre and terrorist activities,” the Israeli Foreign Ministry told the Times of Israel. “This is a fundamentally flawed process in which, through the automatic political majority against Israel at the UN, the institutions of international law are used for making political decisions.” Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz told Kan 11, “There is no place for UNRWA in Gaza. UNRWA is the problem, not the solution. UNRWA serves as the arm of the terrorist organization Hamas.”
According to various reports in the media, Israeli intelligence has estimated that at least 12% of UNRWA’s 13,000 employees in Gaza are simultaneously members of Hamas and other terror groups. In other words, over 1,000 terrorists are working for UNRWA, flagrantly violating the UN’s neutrality.
