'I Went Through Hell', Says 85-Year-Old Israeli Hostage Released By Hamas

Tel Aviv: In a harrowing account of her captivity, Yocheved Lifschitz, one of the two hostages freed by the Palestinian terror group Hamas, spoke to the media from a hospital in Tel Aviv on Tuesday, detailing the horrors she endured. Lifschitz described how she was kidnapped by Hamas gunmen on motorbikes, saying, "I went through hell, that I could not have known." She was abducted from her kibbutz, beaten with sticks, and held in tunnels under Gaza for two weeks before her release.

'Spider's Web' Of Tunnels

 

Lifschitz revealed before the media that she and her fellow captives were taken into a "spider's web" of underground tunnels by the Hamas members.

Conditions Inside Tunnels

 

The hostages were made to sleep on mattresses on the floor inside the tunnels, apparently built by Hamas. Lifschitz noted that they were given white cheese and cucumbers to eat, the same as her Hamas captors. She also mentioned the clean conditions inside the tunnels and the guards who took care of "every detail." Lifschitz's daughter, Sharone, mentioned that her mother's captors said they "believe in the Quran" and therefore would not hurt her. Regarding the other hostages taken by Hamas, Sharone said her mother felt "the story's not over until everybody comes back."

Husbands Still Held By Hamas

 

While Lifschitz and the other Israeli woman, Nurit Cooper, were released, their husbands are still being held by Hamas. So far, four hostages have been released out of more than 200 taken hostage by the terror group.

How They Were Released By Hamas?

 

According to Israeli media reports, a military helicopter carrying the two freed hostages landed on the roof of Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv. A nurse at Ichilov Hospital reported that Cooper and Lifschitz appeared to be in good health after arriving at the Israeli Medical Centre directly upon their release from Hamas captivity in Gaza. Both had an emotional reunion with their families. The nurse noted that the hospital authorities would assess their condition further in the morning.

Hamas's Qassam Brigades released a video showing the two hostages being handed over to members of the International Red Cross. In the video, the two women, wearing identical purple robes, walked unsteadily, holding the hands of masked gunmen, who also offered them snacks and drinks. Both appeared terrified through much of the footage.

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan posted on social media that Washington welcomes the release of these hostages and is continuing to work for the release of the remaining hostages, believed to number over 200.

Two American Hostages Released

Earlier, two American hostages, identified as Judith Tai Raanan and her 17-year-old daughter Natali Raanan, were released by Hamas. Both were from Chicago. According to their family members, they had been visiting relatives in Nahal Oz, a farming community in southern Israel, and were released on "humanitarian grounds" due to the mother's poor health. They were released following negotiations involving Qatar and Hamas. The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza reported that 5,000 people have been killed since October 7, with more than 1,400 killed in Hamas attacks on Israel.