Mother of freed Israeli hostage says Hamas held her daughter at UNRWA facilities

JERUSALEM — The mother of Emily Damari, a British-Israeli hostage released from captivity in Gaza during the first round of exchanges of the ceasefire deal, says Hamas terrorists held her daughter in facilities belonging to the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency known as UNRWA.

In a post on X, Mandy Damari said Hamas “held Emily in UNRWA facilities and denied her access to medical treatment after shooting her twice.”

UNRWA was founded in 1949 to support Palestinian refugees across the Mideast that fled or were forced from their homes during the war over Israel’s creation.

Emily is missing two fingers on her left hand, the result of a gunshot wound she sustained during the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led terrorist attack on her town.

Damari’s statement adds fuel to heavy Israeli criticism of UNRWA, which Israel accuses of being deeply infiltrated by Hamas and other terrorist groups. The agency denies this.

Israel says that a dozen UNRWA employees were involved in the Oct. 7 attack.

In response to Damari’s post on Friday, Jonathan Fowler, UNRWA’s senior communications manager, said the claims were being taken seriously.

“Claims that hostages have been held in UNRWA premises, even if previously vacated, are very serious,” he said. “We have repeatedly called for independent investigations into claims of misuse and disregard of U.N. premises by Palestinian armed groups, including Hamas.”

On Thursday, Israeli legislation banning UNRWA from operating on Israeli soil and coordinating with Israeli authorities went into effect.

Israel says Hamas has used UNRWA facilities as cover in a “human shields” strategy in crowded Gaza, which the terrorist group has controlled since 2007.