A GRANDMOTHER released as a hostage by Hamas militants is “very sharp and is very keen” to share information, her daughter has said.
Speaking at a press conference in Tel Aviv, Sharone Lifschitz, who is based in London, said her 85-year-old mother, Yocheved Lifshitz, “seems OK” after being freed.
She was released alongside fellow Israeli citizen Nurit Cooper, 79, on Monday evening, but their husbands, aged 83 and 84, remain captive with more than 200 other civilians.
Hamas said it had released the two women for humanitarian reasons.
Sharone Lifschitz, who spells her name differently to her mother, said it was “incredible” to be reunited with her – “to hold her hand and to kiss her cheek”.
Translating for her mother at the press conference, Lifschitz said she had been beaten with sticks after militants snatched her away on a motorbike before leading her into Gaza’s tunnels.
“There is a huge network of tunnels underneath – it looks like a spider web,” the daughter said.
When she got off the motorbike, Lifschitz said her mother was told by the people who greeted her that they “believe in the Quran” and therefore would not hurt her.
She was taken into the tunnels alongside 24 others, which she described as having “soft, wet ground”.
In the tunnels there were guards, a paramedic and a doctor. There was one guard for every five hostages.
Continuing her translation, Lifschitz said a paramedic came to bring the hostages any medication they needed, and a doctor visited every two to three days.
She described the conditions as clean, adding that they slept on mattresses on the floor in the tunnels under Gaza and ate white cheese and cucumber, the same food that her captors were eating.
Lifschitz said she will continue to campaign for the release of her father, Oded Lifshitz, and the other captives.
“He speaks good Arabic, so he can communicate very well with the people there,” she said.
“He knows many people in Gaza and the West Bank. I want to think that he’s going to be OK.
“My mum said they had been looked after and there was a doctor there, so this gives a lot of comfort to everybody.
“We have so many people that we’ve lost – it is a little ray of light but there is a huge darkness as well.”
As she was released to Red Cross officials, Lifshitz was seen reaching back to shake the hand of one of the Palestinian militants as she said “Shalom”, a greeting in Hebrew meaning peace.
Lifschitz said she and her mother still dream of peace with the Palestinians, even as an expected ground invasion of Gaza by Israel threatens sparking a wider war in the region.
“We have to find ways because there is no alternative. If anything, it makes me even more resolved,” she said.
“The way has got longer – we are dealing with grief and loss on a level we can never get over, but as nations we will have to find a way forward.”
In the UK, Financial Secretary to the Treasury Victoria Atkins confirmed that the number of British nationals being held hostage by Hamas is believed to be six.
“They are our absolute priority,” the minister told Sky News.
Charities have been urging the Government to prepare to provide refuge to thousands of Palestinians who want to flee Gaza, home to more than two million people.
But Atkins said it is not the right time to consider providing sanctuary.
She told LBC: “At this point in time, I don’t think that’s the right response, because we need to keep the pressure on this terrorist organisation to stop their hostilities, to release hostages and to come back to the diplomatic negotiating table.
“We want Palestinians to be able to live freely in their own area. We do not want these hostilities to continue by this terrorist organisation.”
The Foreign Office welcomed the release of the hostages.
“Our thoughts remain with the families of loved ones still being held captive, as they endure unimaginable anguish and worry at this time,” a spokesperson said.
“We will continue to work tirelessly with Qatar, Israel and others to ensure all hostages come home safely.”
More than 1400 people in Israel, mostly civilians, were killed during the initial Hamas attack on October 7.
According to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, more than 5000 Palestinians, including around 2000 minors and 1100 women, have been killed since.
