A Londoner whose mother was released after being taken captive by Hamas terrorists and held in tunnels under Gaza on Tuesday called for the other hostages to be released.
Sharone Lifschitz, from Walthamstow, said her mother Yocheved Lifshitz was doing well after being freed from her “hellish” ordeal on Monday night.
The 85-year-old told how she and her husband were held in a “spider web” of tunnels under the Palestinian city after being kidnapped from their homes in the Nir Oz kibbutz on October 7.
Mrs Lifschitz added she had “been through hell” and, referring to the other hostages taken by Hamas, felt “the story’s not over until everybody comes back”.
Speaking in Hebrew, with her daughter translating, she told reporters on Tuesday morning that they were hit with sticks by Hamas militants and taken into Gaza on the back of a motorbike, with her legs on one side and her hands on the other. The elderly hostages were then forced to walk for several kilometres on the wet ground of the tunnels.
She added that it was “hell” but said the militants had treated them “gently” and “looked after our needs”. There was a guard for each of the five people being held hostage in her group. Mrs Lifschitz said that while being held in the tunnels, her group was given white cheese and cucumber to eat.
Mrs Lifschitz said that Hamas seemed “really prepared” and it appeared that they had planned the assault for “a long time”. She was released alongside fellow Israeli citizen Nurit Cooper, 79. But their husbands, including Sharone Lifschitz’s father, Oded, 83, remained captive with more than 200 other civilians.
As she was freed, Mrs Lifschitz shook the hand of one of the masked gunmen and offered a blessing to him. When asked why she shook his hand, she explained later: “Because they treated us very nicely.”
Sharone Lifschitz, an artist and academic, said it was “incredible” to be reunited with her mother and “to hold her hand and to kiss her cheek”.
“She is very sharp and is very keen to share the information, pass on the information to families of other hostages she was with,” she told the BBC.
She vowed to continue campaigning for their release, saying: “We cannot stop until we bring all of them back.”
Ms Lifschitz added that she hopes her father “is being looked after.”
“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 okay.
“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.” Mrs Lifschitz and Ms Cooper were handed over to the Red Cross at the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt. Hamas said it had released the two women for humanitarian reasons.
Financial Secretary to the Treasury Victoria Atkins told Sky News this morning that there were believed to be six Britons among those held captive.
“It’s a very fast-moving situation but the latest figure I’ve been given is there are suspected to be six British nationals," said. "They are our absolute priority.”
Downing Street clarified later on Tuesday that five British citizens were confirmed missing, and some of those are thought to be among the hostages.
It comes as an expected ground invasion of Gaza by Israeli forces threatened to spark a wider war in the region.
Charities have been urging the Government to prepare to provide refuge to thousands of Palestinians who want to flee the territory, which is home to more than two million people. But Ms Atkins said it was not the right time to consider providing sanctuary.
“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,” she said. “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 two hostages on Monday night, which comes three days after an American woman and her teenage daughter were also let go.
“Our thoughts remain with the families of loved ones still being held captive, as they endure unimaginable anguish and worry at this time,” a spokeswoman said.
“We will continue to work tirelessly with Qatar, Israel and others to ensure all hostages come home safely.”
Qatar is seen as a key mediator in the Middle East conflict, with Doha using its ties to Hamas — a number of figures from the group’s political wing are said to live in the country — to negotiate for the release of about 220 hostages taken more than two weeks ago.
Ms Lifschitz said she and her mother dreamt of peace with the Palestinians
“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.”
