- Nov 22, 2010
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Israeli captive Yocheved Lifshitz shares her harrowing experience of being kidnapped by Hamas. Despite the initial trauma, she describes her Hamas captors as "friendly" and providing them with everything they needed, including food.
An elderly Israeli hostage who was released by Hamas overnight said she had been beaten when she was taken to Gaza on Oct. 7, but was then treated well during her two-week captivity in the Palestinian enclave.
Yocheved Lifshitz, 85, was one of two women freed late on Monday, leaving around 220 hostages still in the hands of Hamas, including both of their husbands.
"I've been through hell," Lifshitz told reporters, speaking in barely a whisper and seated in a wheelchair outside the Tel Aviv hospital, where she was taken following her release. Looking frail, Lifshitz said gunmen had burst into her kibbutz, Nir Oz, taking residents by surprise. "They stormed into our homes. They beat people. They kidnapped others, the old and the young without distinction," she said.
Lifshitz herself was put on a motorbike and driven into nearby Gaza.
The freed captive told journalists they were treated well and ate the same food as the militants
Inside Gaza, a group of hostages were led into what Lifshitz called a "spider's web" of tunnels that Hamas had built beneath the coastal territory. A group of five people from her kibbutz were held together, each with an individual guard who stayed with them 24 hours a day.
Lifshitz said a doctor visited them every other day and brought them the medicines they needed.
"They took good care of the wounded," Lifshitz said. Lifshitz also notes that the women were responsible for maintaining good hygiene and ensuring that all prisoners were not contaminated by infections. Lifshitz does not wish to speak about politics, but rather focuses on the kindness and care she received while being held captive.
"They were very nice"
Video of her release on Monday showed her turning around to shake the hand of a masked captor. Asked why she had done that, she replied: "They treated us gently and met all our needs."
Lifshitz was critical on Tuesday of the Israeli military for failing to protect southern communities from the Hamas assault, saying the army had not taken the threat of attack seriously. "We were left to fend for ourselves," she said. She added that a costly security fence that was meant to keep militants out "didn't help at all".
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www.reuters.com
An elderly Israeli hostage who was released by Hamas overnight said she had been beaten when she was taken to Gaza on Oct. 7, but was then treated well during her two-week captivity in the Palestinian enclave.
Yocheved Lifshitz, 85, was one of two women freed late on Monday, leaving around 220 hostages still in the hands of Hamas, including both of their husbands.
"I've been through hell," Lifshitz told reporters, speaking in barely a whisper and seated in a wheelchair outside the Tel Aviv hospital, where she was taken following her release. Looking frail, Lifshitz said gunmen had burst into her kibbutz, Nir Oz, taking residents by surprise. "They stormed into our homes. They beat people. They kidnapped others, the old and the young without distinction," she said.
Lifshitz herself was put on a motorbike and driven into nearby Gaza.
The freed captive told journalists they were treated well and ate the same food as the militants
Inside Gaza, a group of hostages were led into what Lifshitz called a "spider's web" of tunnels that Hamas had built beneath the coastal territory. A group of five people from her kibbutz were held together, each with an individual guard who stayed with them 24 hours a day.
Lifshitz said a doctor visited them every other day and brought them the medicines they needed.
"They took good care of the wounded," Lifshitz said. Lifshitz also notes that the women were responsible for maintaining good hygiene and ensuring that all prisoners were not contaminated by infections. Lifshitz does not wish to speak about politics, but rather focuses on the kindness and care she received while being held captive.
"They were very nice"
Video of her release on Monday showed her turning around to shake the hand of a masked captor. Asked why she had done that, she replied: "They treated us gently and met all our needs."
Lifshitz was critical on Tuesday of the Israeli military for failing to protect southern communities from the Hamas assault, saying the army had not taken the threat of attack seriously. "We were left to fend for ourselves," she said. She added that a costly security fence that was meant to keep militants out "didn't help at all".
I went through hell, says elderly hostage released by Hamas
Yocheved Lifschitz says she was kidnapped and taken into a "spider's web" of tunnels underneath Gaza.
www.bbc.co.uk
Freed Israeli hostage says 'I've been through hell'
An elderly Israeli hostage said she was beaten by militants when abducted but then treated well during her captivity. Video of her release showed her shaking the hand of a masked captor. Asked why she had done that, she said "they treated us gently and met all our needs."
www.reuters.com
