Yochaved Lifshitz, one of the two elderly hostages freed by Hamas on Monday, shared her harrowing experience with journalists on Tuesday. She described being subjected to physical abuse during her capture but also revealed that she shook hands with a Hamas militant upon her release because she was treated well while held captive. Lifshitz and her 83-year-old husband, Oded, were taken from their home at the Nir Oz kibbutz near the Gaza border. However, Oded remains missing. Hamas claimed to have released Lifshitz and another hostage, Nurit Cooper, on health grounds. The notorious Palestinian group, recognized as a terrorist organization by several countries including Israel and the US, currently holds over 200 people hostage following its unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. Israeli officials claim that over 1,400 people were killed during the initial siege and ongoing rocket attacks from Gaza. However, health officials in Gaza, which is under Hamas rule, stated that more than 5,700 people were killed by Israeli airstrikes. Lifshitz and her husband are well-known human rights activists, and their family has said that they collaborated with a local organization that assists injured Palestinians. A video of Lifshitz being handed over by her captors shows her shaking hands with a Hamas militant and saying “shalom,” a Hebrew greeting that means “peace.” During a press conference on Tuesday, Lifshitz explained how Hamas militants stormed their home, indiscriminately beat and kidnapped people on the day of the attack. She recounted being dragged on a motorcycle through plowed fields with ropes tied to each side and having her jewelry stolen. Lifshitz, who appeared frail and used a wheelchair, added that the Hamas attackers easily breached the protective electric fence surrounding her kibbutz, which Israeli authorities had installed. According to Sharone Lifshitz, who translated her mother’s statements from Hebrew to English, their captors struck Yochaved with sticks and transported her through an extensive network of tunnels. Yochaved Lifshitz recalled that Hamas members assured them they wouldn’t be harmed because they believed in the Quran. A doctor visited the hostages every few days to provide necessary medications, and Lifshitz praised Hamas members for treating their prisoners kindly during her two-week captivity. When questioned about why she shook hands with one of her captors, Lifshitz explained that they fulfilled their needs and seemed prepared for the situation, having planned it for a long time. Despite humane treatment, she emphasized that her ordeal was incredibly difficult and would leave a lasting impact on her. She held the Israeli military accountable for failing to prevent the attack and expressed disappointment in their handling of previous smaller-scale Hamas attacks. The head of Israel’s military intelligence agency has personally taken responsibility for not detecting and thwarting the well-planned Hamas attack.
Emotional Testimony: Yochaved Lifshitz, Israeli Hostage Freed by Hamas, Unveils Her Ordeal and Unveils Shocking Encounter with Captor
