Yocheved Lifschitz, 85, one of the released hostages Hamas On Monday 23rd he criticized the military Israelis for not taking the terrorist group’s threats seriously and described what he went through as “hell”. She remained captive under Hamas power for 16 days was released along with Nourit Kuper, 79both of Israeli nationality and originally from Kibbutz Nir Oz.
“I don’t know where they took me,” Yocheved said. “I was put on the side of a motorcycle to prevent me from falling, with one terrorist holding me from the front and another from behind. They crossed the border into the Gaza Strip and initially detained me in the city of Abesan. After that, I don’t know where I was taken.”
According to Israeli media, speaking to reporters at Tel Aviv’s Ichilov Hospital after his release, Yocheved said he “went through hell” during his two weeks as a hostage. She says that the terrorists beat her with sticks on the motorcycle ride to captivity, causing injuries. The elderly woman also reported difficulty breathing.
Yocheved Lifshitz remained captive under Hamas power for 16 days. In the photo she speaks to the press together with her daughter Sharone Lifschitz. Photo: EFE/EPA/ABIR SULTAN
“They took us to the entrance to the tunnels. We arrived at the tunnel and walked for miles on wet dirt. There is a huge tunnel system, like spider webs,” Yocheved said, according to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz. According to him, the hostages were treated well and the kidnappers were friendly. “We lay on mattresses, they made sure everything was hygienic,” she said. “They made sure we didn’t get sick and had a doctor see us every two to three days.”
The hostages were fed flatbread with white cheese, processed cheese and cucumber the same food that the terrorists ate.
“We were let down by the government”
Speaking to the press this Tuesday, the 24th, Yocheved accused the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) of not taking Hamas’ threats “seriously.” She also criticized the expensive border fence on the border with Gaza, which was breached in the October 7 attack. “That didn’t help,” the older woman said, according to CNN.
Referring to Hamas’s unprecedented surprise attack, she said that residents of the kibbutz where she lived had been harmed by the lack of knowledge of the IDF and the Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security service. “We were the government’s scapegoats,” she said. “They warned us three weeks in advance, they burned fields, they sent fire balloons and the IDF didn’t take it seriously,” he added, referring to Hamas.
“We were let down by the government three weeks earlier. (Hamas) educated us, so to speak […] “Suddenly, on Saturday morning, when everything was quiet, they bombarded us, then swarms broke into the expensive fence, opened the doors of the kibbutz, it was very unpleasant,” he reported.
Yocheved Lifschitz speaks to the media at Sourasky Medical Center in Tel Aviv on Tuesday. She was the first Hamas hostage to speak to the press after her release. Photo: EFE/EPA/ABIR SULTAN
Yocheved’s husband is hostage
Yocheved Lifschitz and Nurit Cooper were released three days after two other hostages were released from Hamas captivity. On Friday the 20th, The group released the first prisoners after negotiations with the United States. mediated by Qatar. Judith and Natalie Raanan live in Evanston, Illinois, and were in Israel to celebrate a family member’s birthday and a religious holiday.
According to the Israeli army, 220 people have been kidnapped and are still under the control of the terrorist group. One of them is Yocheved’s husband, 83yearold Oded Lifschitz. He and his wife were kidnapped from their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz, near the border with Gaza in southern Israel.
She and her husband were peace activists who regularly transported Palestinian patients from Gaza to receive medical treatment in Israeli hospitals. But in captivity, the hostages told their captors: “We don’t want to talk about politics,” she said.
“Although I lack the words to express my relief that they are safe, I remain focused on the release of my father and the 200 innocent people still trapped in Gaza,” said Yocheved’s daughter Sharone Lifschitz, one British citizen./With Associated Press and AFP.