British-Israeli hostage says Hamas held her at UN facilities

A British-Israeli woman, held captive by Hamas in Gaza for 15 months, has stated that she was detained for a period in a United Nations facility. Emily Damari, who was released earlier this month, revealed in a phone call with British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer that she was held within premises belonging to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

Damari also stated that she was denied medical treatment during her captivity, despite having been shot in her hand and leg. UNRWA, in a statement, said the claims that hostages were held in UN premises were "very serious" and stated that they had repeatedly called for an independent investigation into allegations of misuse of facilities by Palestinian armed groups, including Hamas.

Israel has repeatedly accused UNRWA staff of involvement in the October 7th attacks and stated that its buildings in Gaza were used by Hamas. The Israeli government plans to ban the organization from operating. In her call with Downing Street, Ms. Damari stated that while being held in the UNRWA facility, her captors only provided her with a bottle of expired iodine to treat gunshot wounds to her leg and left hand, where she lost two fingers.

UNRWA's Director of Communications, Juliette Touma, was questioned about Ms. Damari's claims on BBC Radio 4's PM program. She stated: "For many months now, we have not had access to several of our facilities. Therefore, when the war started, most of our buildings were transformed into shelters. At one point, there were one million people living in these shelters." A Downing Street spokesperson said they "welcomed UNRWA's statement that there should be an investigation into the use of their facilities".

Ms. Damari, 28, also used her call with Sir Keir Starmer to thank those in the UK who worked for her release. A ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas will see the gradual release of hostages held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinians held by Israel. Three more hostages are due to be released on Saturday, with 183 Palestinian prisoners also expected to be freed. Approximately 251 hostages were taken when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people. The attack sparked a war that has devastated Gaza. According to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, Israel's 15-month military offensive in the region has resulted in the deaths of 47,460 Palestinians.