Former Israeli hostage Emily Damari tells UK PM Starmer she was held captive in UNRWA building, denied medication

The British-Israeli former hostage of Hamas, Emily Damari, has told British Prime Minister Keir Starmer that she was held in a United Nations Relief Works Agency (UNRWA) building in Gaza, and was denied basic medical care.

Emily (28) and her mother, Mandy Damari, spoke to the prime minister over the phone on Friday. The young civilian from Kibbutz Kfar Aza, was one of the first three hostages released on Jan. 19, in phase one of the current ceasefire.

The mother and daughter told Starmer that an “out-of-date bottle of iodine” was all that was provided to her during over 15 months in captivity – despite having lost two fingers from her left hand on Oct. 7, 2023 – when armed terrorists stormed the kibbutz, murdering dozens of men, women and children.

She was also “carrying an unhealed gunshot wound in her leg,” from the violent kidnapping, they said.

When Starmer inquired about Emily’s condition now that she is home, Mandy replied that she “seems to be doing pretty well psychologically,” but would have a long road ahead of her considering her physical injuries.

“Thank you Keir Starmer for calling us today and all your support in getting Emily home,” Mandy Damari shared in a post on 𝕏. 

“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.”

During the agonizing wait for her daughter's release, one point Emily’s mother repeatedly emphasized was that international aid packages to Gaza should also include provisions for the starving hostages.

The Israeli and international captives have received no aid or Red Cross assistance. Many have been held in deep, dark, airless tunnels with minimal food and water.

The phone call took place in the wake of the implementation of an Israeli parliament bill to effectively designate UNRWA as a terrorist organization and have it banned from Israel.

Damari’s new piece of evidence against UNRWA is just the latest in a long line of incidents of complicity with Hamas terrorism, as testified by the UN chief António Guterres. At least 12 UNRWA employees have been connected to the Oct. 7, 2023 massacre.

Another Israeli hostage, Ditza Heiman, was held captive by a UNRWA teacher for 53 days. Heiman was given a minimal amount of food and no access to essential medication. She described seeing the UNRWA logo on various items during her captivity.

“About 10% of UNRWA’s staff in the Gaza Strip are connected to terrorist organizations,” Knesset Member Yulia Malinovksy explained in her introduction to the bill. 

“It was also announced that two teachers from the organization kept Israeli hostages in their home, 130 teachers praised the massacre in public, and 3,000 teachers, on behalf of the organization, glorified the massacre in the Telegram group in response.”

On Oct. 7, 2024, the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee unanimously approved the second and third stages of the bill. Committee Chair Yuli Edelstein said: “The UNRWA problem did not begin on October 7; it merely came to the surface and was revealed in all of its evilness (on that day). For many years now, Members of Knesset from all ends of the political spectrum have raised the issue and have advanced bill related to the matter. 

“We all witnessed UNRWA’s activity on October 7; there was no concern there for ‘relief and employment.’ We know that some of the hostages were held by workers of the organization… UNRWA is out!”