An Israeli mother whose son was murdered and kidnapped by aUnited Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA)employee on October 7 confronted the United Nations Human Rights Council on Friday, accusing the international body of ignoring Israeli victims while defending the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.
Speaking at the council’s opening session in Geneva,Ayelet Sameranoaddressed 193 ambassadors, demanding accountability for her son, Yonatan Samerano, whose body remains in Gaza.
Ayelet Samerano
(Photo: UN WEB TV)
"Mr. Rapporteur, in your report, you claim the reputation of UNRWA is under attack. I speak today as a mother. My son, Yonatan, 21 years old, was shot on October 7. Then an UNRWA social worker kidnapped him. Right now, Yonatan is still held by terrorists in Gaza," she said.
"So I know what an attack is. An attack is when terrorists, includingUNRWAemployees like Muhammad Abu Itiwi, enter a music festival and murder innocent young people. An attack is when a UN social worker, paid by this organization, kidnapped my son into Gaza. A UN employee who took upon himself to do good, yet did evil. No, UNRWA is not under attack. UNRWA is the attacker."
Samerano accused UNRWA’s infrastructure of actively supporting Hamas, citing testimony from 84-year-old Ditza Heiman and Emily Damari, both former hostages, who testified that they were held captive in UNRWA facilities in Gaza.
"An UNRWA teacher held 84-year-old Ditza Heiman captive. Terrorists held Emily Damari captive in an UNRWA building. UNRWA's entire infrastructure helped Hamas kill our children," she said.
Turning directly to the UN official, she asked: "You talk about human rights. What about human rights? What about Yonatan’s rights? What about the hostages still suffering in Gaza right now?"
UNRWA has been under increasing scrutiny since Israel accused multiple agency employees of direct involvement in the October 7 Hamas-led attack that killed approximately 1,200 people and resulted in the abduction of around 250 hostages. The United States, Canada, and several European nations have suspended funding to the agency, and the UN has launched an internal investigation.
Samerano also addressed claims thatUNRWAhad suffered from the deaths of its staff, responding: "Your report, Mr. Rapporteur, speaks of the death of UNRWA staff. Does this include the UNRWA worker who kidnapped my son, Yonatan? Mr. Rapporteur, I ask you. I ask all of the UN."
UN Watch, a Geneva-based organization that monitors the UN, invited Samerano to speak at the council session. Its executive director, Hillel Neuer, later shared a video of her speech, which quickly gained millions of views.
"The UN should apologize for the fact that many UNRWA employees—including school principals and teachers—were exposed as participants in the October 7 massacre and helped hold hostages in UNRWA facilities and employees’ homes," Neuer said.
"Instead of being fired and prosecuted, the UN has the audacity to claim that the real victims are UNRWA employees."
Samerano has been a vocal critic of UNRWA in recent months. In August 2024, she traveled to Switzerland for a UN Watch event attended by UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini. Standing on an improvised stage, she revealed a shirt that read, "UNRWA kidnapped my son," and confronted Lazzarini directly, asking, "Where is my son, Mr. Lazzarini? Why are you silent?"
In November, she interrupted a UN conference on UNRWA, telling Lazzarini: "You are not human. My life has been destroyed—and you are responsible."
Samerano continues to fight for the return of her son’s body as negotiations over a possible hostage deal remain uncertain.