Daughter of former Gaza hostage confronts UN over UNRWA funding despite Hamas ties
UNRWA was founded in 1949 and operates in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, providing humanitarian aid and education for Palestinians.
Neta Heiman Mina, whose mother Ditza Heiman was held hostage by Hamas in Gaza for nearly two months in October 2023, confronted the United Nations at a human rights panel on Tuesday. The 84-year-old woman's mother was held captive for 53 days by an UNRWA teacher named Abed, who kept her in inhumane conditions with minimal food. Mina accused UNRWA of continuing to fund the organization despite its ties to Hamas and the involvement of its employees in the October 7 massacre.
During the panel, Mina questioned the UN's decision to entrust the education of Gaza's future generation to individuals who were part of the atrocities. She specifically targeted Suhail al-Hindi, the person in charge of 8,000 teachers in Gaza who was a member of Hamas at the time. UN Watch, a group that supported Mina's stance, pointed out that UNRWA has overstated its progress on institutional changes. The organization has completed only 13 out of 50 recommended reforms, according to a scathing report by UN Watch.
Written by urgent.news from Jerusalem Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
