Mandy Damari, the mother of Emily Damari, who was held for 470 days and was recently released, told a shocking story
She said her daughter was held in UNRWA facilities in Gaza the entire time.
What Happened
Emily was kidnapped and held captive for over a year until her release this month.
Mandy and Emily are both British citizens.
Mandy shared this information during a conversation with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
She posted a photo on X (formerly Twitter) showing her and Emily speaking to Starmer, thanking him for his support: “Thank you Keir Starmer for calling us today and for all your support in bringing Emily home.
Hamas held Emily in UNRWA facilities and denied her medical care after shooting her twice.”
Conditions of Captivity:
Mandy said it was a “miracle” that her daughter survived and that it was now urgent to help the hostages still there.
According to Sky News, Emily told Starmer that she had only been given an expired bottle to treat her wounds, despite having lost two fingers on her left hand and a wound on her leg that was not healing.
Thank you @Keir_Starmer for calling us today and all your support in getting Emily home. Hamas held Emily in @UNRWA facilities and denied her access to medical treatment after shooting her twice. It’s a miracle that she survived, and we need to get aid to remaining hostages now. pic.twitter.com/K5aZybh0K2
? Mandy Damari “? (@DamariMandy) January 31, 2025
Plea for Help
Emily and Mandy called on Starmer to put pressure on Hamas and UNRWA to allow the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to help the 82 hostages still held captive.
UNRWA Response:
UNRWA said it was relieved that the hostages had been released and hoped that all others would be released as well.
It also said: “Allegations that hostages were held in our facilities, even though they had previously been vacated, are very serious.
We have called for independent investigations into the misuse of UN facilities by Palestinian armed groups, including Hamas.”
Controversies and Investigations:
UNRWA has long been criticized for its collaboration with Hamas, especially after Israel revealed that UNRWA staff participated in the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023.
Israel presented documents proving that these staff helped in the massacre at Kibbutz Be’eri, where 97 people were killed.
Following these revelations, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres created a group to investigate, led by Catherine Colonna.
The group’s report, released in April, confirmed problems with neutrality at UNRWA, but also said that Israel had not yet proven that many staff were members of terrorist organizations.
New Laws:
On Thursday, two new laws passed by the Knesset in October that restrict UNRWA’s operations in Israel came into effect.
Published in 02/01/2025 07h15
Text adapted by AI (Grok) and translated via Google API in the English version. Images from public image libraries or credits in the caption.
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