Israel mother of hostage: ‘UNRWA worker kidnapped my son’
'How can the UN pay this man who dragged my son’s limp body on the ground, and then picked him as if he was a trophy back to Gaza?' the mother of a 21-year-old hostage said.
The mother of a 21-year-old Israeli man raged against the UN following footage of her son’s body being kidnapped in to Gaza by an UNRWA worker on October 7.
Ayelet Samerano, the mother Yonatan Samerano, 21, plead to get her son’s body back, saying: “An UNRWA worker kidnapped my son’s body. How can a social worker for an organization that claims to promote good in this world do something so cruel and inhumane? How can the UN pay this man who dragged my son’s limp body on the ground, and then picked him as if he was a trophy back to Gaza?”
The footage released earlier this week showed an UNRAWA worker dragging a body in to his car in Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7. A Washington Post investigation later verified the video and the identity of the UNRWA worker.
“How many more lives have been ruined by this person hauling my son like he is not even a human being into a UNRWA vehicle? Does the UN hold my son? Do they know where he is? Bring him back to me. Are there any other hostages held by UN employees even as we speak?” she added.
Ayelet said Yonathan and his friends “believe in acceptance and care for our world and for all human beings. My young son’s generation don’t care about your religion, your faith, sexual orientation or race, they just want to live a peaceful and happy life. My son was not armed, nor was he in a war situation.”
Dr. Shelly Aviv Yeini, Head of the Legal Team, The Hostages Families Forum, said she stands by Ayelet to “raise a voice against a grave injustice that has come to light within the UNRWA.”
“Hostage-taking is a war crime, an act so vile that it shakes the foundation of any institution’s claim to promote peace and justice. We are here to demand a comprehensive and transparent investigation into these allegations. It’s imperative for UNRWA and the UN to thoroughly reassess UNRWA’s internal protocols, screening methods, inspection mechanisms and overall relevant conduct. We call on UNRWA to not only investigate but to communicate openly with the affected families and to ensure such breaches of trust are never repeated,” Dr. Yeini added.
The footage of an UNRWA worker kidnapping Yonatan Samerano is the latest in a string of scandals rocking the agency. Last week, Israel’s Defence Minister Yoav Gallant revealed what he said was evidence of additional 30 UNRWA workers who took part in the October 7 massacre.
Gallant also claimed that 1468 UNRWA workers are members of Hamas or Islamic Jihad.
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