Danon Takes UN Ambassadors to Kfar Aza, Says Hamas Rule Blocks Gaza Reconstruction

Israel’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Danny Danon, visited Kibbutz Kfar Aza with a delegation of UN ambassadors on Sunday, November 15. Danon said the kibbutz was the first stop on their visit to Israel’s Gaza-border communities. He described standing with the diplomats outside homes where civilians were murdered and abducted during the October 7 attack. Danon linked what the ambassadors saw to the discussions they would attend at the UN about Gaza’s future. He said they would remember the visit when taking part in those debates. “As long as Hamas continues to rule the Gaza Strip, there will be no reconstruction there,” Danon said in his Hebrew statement. On November 13, Danon said the delegation was continuing to Israel after a visit to Poland. He described the Poland visit as moving and meaningful, and said the next stage would show his fellow ambassadors the challenges Israel faces up close. Israel’s UN mission describes visits to Poland and Israel as a programme Danon initiated for fellow ambassadors. He began his second term as Israel’s permanent representative in August 2024, after previously holding the post from 2015 to 2020.