Reporter Hits Back At UN Agency For Dismissing Israeli Claiming They Were Held Hostage By UN Staffer In Gaza

AP Photo/Adel Hana

Almog Boker, a veteran Israeli broadcaster and host on Israel’s Channel 13, hit back at UNRWA (The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees) over the weekend after the UN agency slammed a recent testimonial from a hostage released by Hamas.

Boker reported last week that “One of the abductees, held for nearly 50 days in an attic, reveals he was held by a UNRA [sic] teacher – a father of ten children. This teacher locked the victim away, barely provided food, and neglected medical needs.”

“But wait, there’s more! Another abductee was held captive by a Gazan doctor who, simultaneously, cared for children. These are not isolated incidents; these civilians are terrorists. Present at the Saturday massacre, they’re now revealed as integral to holding hundreds captive, including women and children,” Boker added in a post on Twitter/X detailing some of his recent reporting.

UNRWA responded to the report with a statement demanding Boker release more information.

“UNRWA has been following the traction of a post by an Israeli journalist on the social media platform X. The post claims that there is an alleged connection between an Israeli hostage held in Gaza and an UNRWA school teacher. The journalist did not provide more information on this claim,” the statement began, adding:

UNRWA requests that the journalist provides an immediate clarification of the claims, and that whoever may be able to assist us in determining the facts comes forward.

In the absence of credible information to support this claim, UNRWA requests that the journalist immediately deletes the post. Making serious allegations in the public domain, unsupported by any evidence or verifiable facts in support thereof may amount to misinformation.

The agency shared the tweet on X with even stronger language, saying, “Spreading unsubstantiated claims about @UNRWA must stop immediately. Making serious allegations in the public domain, unsupported by any evidence or verifiable facts in support thereof may amount to misinformation.”

Boker hit back, sharing the UNRWA statement and adding, “Survivors of Hamas captivity are beginning to share their stories. One of them testified he was held hostage and starved by an @UNRWA teacher. That’s not an “allegation”. That’s a survivor testimony, and more testimonies are coming.”

“While Hamas holds 136 Israeli hostages in Gaza, I can’t share information that could endanger them or identify the survivor. I hope UNRWA treats this more seriously than Hamas’s theft from its stocks and abuse of its civilian facilities for terror activity,” Boker concluded.

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