Bereaved Father Sets Mezuzah at Former UNRWA Site in Jerusalem

A symbolic ceremony was held Wednesday at the entrance to the former UNRWA compound at Givat HaTachmoshet (Ammunition Hill) in Jerusalem, where bereaved father Kobi Samerano affixed a mezuzah at the site. The event followed the demolition work on the former UNRWA facilities after the organization’s activity was banned in Israel.

The ceremony came as Israel pressed ahead with dismantling UNRWA infrastructure in Jerusalem, even as UNRWA filed a petition to the Israeli Supreme Court seeking to halt the demolition and have the buildings returned to the agency, but Israeli officials say the work follows the organization’s outlawing under Israeli law.

Samerano lost his son, Yonatan, who was kidnapped to Gaza from the Re’im area and later murdered. According to the father, the terrorist responsible for the killing was registered as a UNRWA operative. Samerano has repeatedly described the events surrounding his son’s abduction and death as a defining personal trauma.

“This is personal closure. Today we were privileged to affix a mezuzah at the former UNRWA compound at Givat HaTachmoshet in memory of our son. May this be a moment of protection, blessing, and salvation,” Samerano said during Wednesday’s ceremony.

Also attending were Jerusalem deputy mayor Arieh King, Knesset member Dan Illouz, and Im Tirtzu field activist Benyahu Ben Shabbat. Participants described the mezuzah-setting as a symbolic statement marking the transition of the site following UNRWA’s removal.

Demolition operations at the compound began two days earlier, after UNRWA activity was formally banned in Israel. Following the demolition work the next day, Samerano issued a longer statement framing the move as a form of justice for his family.

“This is closure for me and for my family. Our Jonathan was brutally kidnapped by a despicable UNRWA operative, and for a long time we could not live in peace until we brought him to a Jewish grave. Justice has finally been done: UNRWA’s offices in Jerusalem have been completely destroyed. UNRWA is outside the law and outside the State of Israel. I thank everyone who helped advance the legislation that made this demolition possible, and I hope we will no longer see UNRWA in Israel,” he said.