Israeli testifies at UN: 84-year-old mother held hostage for 48 days in UNRWA teacher’s Gaza home

Summary

Neta Heiman Mina testified before the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva that her 84-year-old mother, Ditza Heiman, was abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz during Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack and held in Gaza for 53 days. Mina said her mother spent 48 days confined in the attic of a home belonging to an UNRWA teacher, under difficult conditions and with little food. She questioned whether UNRWA should continue managing education and humanitarian services in Gaza if some employees were involved in hostage-taking or affiliated with Hamas. The testimony follows earlier allegations by former Israeli hostages and Israeli officials concerning UNRWA personnel. The article states that Hamas killed approximately 1,200 people and kidnapped 251 during the attack. It also reviews the wider dispute over UNRWA: donor funding was temporarily suspended in January 2024 after Israeli allegations, while a review led by Catherine Colonna issued 50 reform recommendations. UNRWA says it completed 41 recommendations by 2026, but UN Watch claims only 13 were implemented as prescribed. Israel banned UNRWA activities in October 2024 while saying humanitarian aid should continue through alternative arrangements. UNRWA rejects claims of systematic ties to Hamas.