Emily Damari’s mom: My daughter was held in UNRWA facilities, denied medical treatment
‘It’s a miracle she survived,’ Mandy Damari says after speaking with British PM Keir Starmer; UN agency, which Israel just banned, calls for ‘very serious claim’ to be investigated
The mother of freed hostage Emily Damari revealed Friday that her daughter was held by Hamas at UNRWA facilities in the Gaza Strip, and that her captors refused to give her access to medical treatment.
Emily lost two fingers in her left hand after being shot by Hamas terrorists during her abduction on October 7, 2023. Her mother Mandy said it was “a miracle that she survived,” in a post on X thanking British Prime Minister Keir Starmer for calling them earlier in the day.
“Hamas held Emily in UNRWA facilities and denied her access to medical treatment after shooting her twice,” wrote Mandy, who like her daughter has British citizenship. “It’s a miracle that she survived, and we need to get aid to the remaining hostages now.”
There was no statement from Starmer’s office on the phone call.
UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, later said in response to Damari that the “very serious claim” must be investigated.
“The vast majority of our buildings were turned into shelter when the war started. There was also very, very little supplies and assistance that the agency could give them,” UNRWA spokeswoman Juliette Touma said in an interview with the BBC, according to the Guardian.
“We’ve been calling for the release of hostages for months on end… These claims that hostages have been held in UNRWA premises, even if they were vacated, are absolutely serious.”
“We’ve repeatedly called for independent investigations into these claims, including the misuse and disregard of UNRWA premises by Palestinian armed groups. That also includes Hamas.”

The revelation came a day after a new Israeli law took effect that prohibits operations by UNRWA on Israeli land — including East Jerusalem — and contact with Israeli authorities.
Israel has long been critical of UNRWA, saying it perpetuates the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by bestowing refugee status to the descendants of refugees — a designation not afforded to any other refugees in the world.
It has also accused the agency of promoting hatred in its schools, fostering Palestinian dependence on aid over decades through its system, and allowing terrorists to infiltrate its ranks, with some taking part in the October 7 atrocities and hundreds more having ties to terror groups.
Despite the ban, Touma told a press briefing in Geneva on Friday that the UNRWA was “continuing to provide services” across the West Bank and Gaza, adding any disruptions to its work in the Strip would put “in jeopardy” the ongoing hostage release and ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.