Hostage says Hamas members held her in a UN building in Gaza

Released Israeli hostage Emily Damari told British Prime Minister Keir Starmer that the radical Palestinian movement Hamas held her at a UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) facility in the Gaza Strip. This was reported by the BBC television channel on February 1.

Damari became a hostage of Hamas on October 7, 2023, she was released from captivity on January 19, 2025. She said members of the Palestinian movement denied her medical treatment despite the fact that she was wounded in the arm and leg during her capture.

In a response statement, UNRWA, the BBC writes, said the allegation is very serious and that the agency has repeatedly called for an independent investigation into Israeli authorities' claims that Hamas is using UN facilities to house militants.

The Israeli side has repeatedly accused UNRWA of involvement in the October 7, 2023 attack, the channel notes.

Vague alternatives: in Palestine, a plan for the reconstruction of Gaza has been drawn up

However, Israel is blocking attempts by the NPA authorities to return to the exclave

Israel notified the UN on January 25 that UNRWA must cease its work in Jerusalem by January 30 and vacate all the premises it occupies by that date. Then, on January 30, two laws went into effect banning UNRWA's activities in some "sovereign territory of Israel" and banning Israeli contacts with representatives of the organization, Russian diplomats said.

On January 28, Russian Permanent Representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya said at a meeting of the organization's Security Council that Russia had called on the United States to force Israel to lift the UNRWA ban. Later, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that the Jewish state's decision violates international legal norms and deserves condemnation.

The agreement on a ceasefire in Gaza became known on January 15. During the first phase of the deal, which will last 42 days, 33 Israeli hostages and about 1.9 thousand Palestinians should be released.

On January 19, Hamas released three hostages in exchange for 90 Palestinian prisoners, and on January 26, the movement handed over four Israeli hostages to the Red Cross. On January 30, the Palestinian side handed over eight hostages to the Israeli military, among them three Israelis and five Thai nationals. On February 1, Hamas released a U.S. citizen from captivity for the first time since the ceasefire. In addition, two more hostages were handed over to Israel on that day.

The situation in the Middle East escalated on the morning of October 7, 2023, when Hamas subjected Israel's territory to a massive rocket attack from the Gaza Strip. On the same day, Israel began retaliatory strikes.