Freed hostages Yocheved Lifshitz and Nurit Cooper were flown to Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv in a military helicopter following their release on Monday evening from captivity in the Gaza Strip by Hamas terrorists, accompanied by family members.
Lifshitz, an 85-year-old woman from Kibbutz Nir Oz, spoke to the press on Tuesday morning about her harrowing ordeal. Yocheved’s husband Oded, 83, was also abducted and is still being held by Hamas. She did not see him while in Gaza as their captors divided them into small groups.
“My name is Yocheved Lifshitz, I was born in Israel in 1938,” she began. “I thank you for coming to hear about my tragedy and that of my friends. I hope we will get through it.”
“I went through a hell that we never imagined. They went on a rampage in the kibbutz. There was no difference to them whether they kidnapped the elderly or the young. They kidnapped everyone. They kidnapped me, laid me on the side of a motorcycle, with my head on one side and my legs on the other, and drove through the fields to Gaza. They destroyed the billion-and-a-half-dollar border fence. During that time, they took my watch and jewelry, and they beat me with sticks. It was extremely painful. My ribs were hurting me very much and I had a hard time breathing.”
“When we arrived there, I was in a web of huge tunnels that looked like a spider web. They said they believed in the Quran and wouldn’t hurt us and we would be provided with the same conditions they had in the tunnels. They took a group of 25 hostages, and we started walking through tunnels on damp earth for many kilometers for a long time. After two to three hours, they separated five of us from Kibbutz Nir Oz and took us to a separate room.”
“Their guards and a medic came with us and a doctor also arrived and made sure they provided us with the medications we needed. We slept on mattresses. There was humidity in the tunnels all the time. They were very cautious about our sanitary conditions so we won’t get sick. There was a doctor who came every two to three days who made sure to bring medication – if they didn’t have the same ones, they brought us the equivalent ones. There was a young hostage who flew off his motorcycle and had injured arms and legs – it was painful to see. The paramedic sat there all day – and treated him every hour, hour and a half. The doctor sent him antibiotics and it didn’t help. After a few days, they sent antibiotics again, and this time it helped.”
“They divided us into groups by kibbutz and residents. We ate what they ate – pitas, white cheese, and cucumbers – it was our meal for the entire day. We were five people and each one had someone who guarded him. They made sure we had good conditions, they cleaned the bathrooms. They tried to talk to us, we told them – no politics. They were very friendly to us.”
“They were planning this for a long time. They had everything there, even shampoo and hair conditioner. The lack of intelligence in the IDF and the Shin Bet greatly affected us. We were the scapegoat. The IDF did not take the [terror] balloons and fires seriously. We received a warning three weeks ago. They burned our field and the IDF didn’t take it seriously. Suddenly on Shabbos morning, there was a heavy barrage of rockets and many terrorists broke in. They breached the gates of the kibbutz and entered in droves. It was a very difficult and unpleasant scene. I constantly have the images in my head.”
Prior to their abduction, Yocheved and her husband were peace activists who for over a decade regularly drove Palestinians in Gaza to Israeli hospitals for medical treatment. Their daughter, Sharone Lifschitz, who lives in London, told BBC: “My father was very involved in Palestinian rights and working towards peace with our neighbors.”
The spokesperson for the Red Cross in Israel told Army Radio on Tuesday: “‘We didn’t succeed in meeting with the other hostages, but we requested it again and again. It is essential that we be able to meet those who were taken captive, see that they have access to medical care, contact with their loved ones, and first and foremost – to bring about their release.”
Following the arrival of Lifshitz and Cooper on Sunday night., Etty Uziel, the Head Nurse at the hospital, said: “They appear fine, their medical condition is fine, they’re speaking. Right now, we’re letting them rest a bit with their families and afterward, we’ll carry out a thorough medical examination.”
A video of Lifshitz and Cooper arriving at the hospital via a military helicopter can be seen below:
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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13 Responses
Sad: They spent their lives trying to promote peace and to access medical assistance for Gazans.
Such heartening news on YWN of real heros. “Yocheved and her husband were peace activists who for over a decade regularly drove Palestinians in Gaza to Israeli hospitals for medical treatment.” and now these wonderful friends drove them into Gaza for medical treatment there! Their daughter, Sharone Lifschitz, who lives in London, not heaven forbid, in occupied Palestine told BBC: “My father was very involved in Palestinian rights”. We can only hope that Mr. Lifshitz will be able to stay where he belongs with his great friends in Gaza for many years, sharing their wholesome treif food and enjoying their hospitality. No problem Haredim there – they even gave him free transport as well ,on Shabbos no less! As for Mrs. Lifshitz, she was not going to be held back from shaking the hand of the nice young man who took such good care of her in his home. Could it have happened in Bnei Brak that she could have thanked him so lovingly with a personal hand shake. These Jew haters got what they deserve. YWN please ignore them.
Their husbands are still be in held. Israel can deal with the tunnels. So much pressure is being put on Israel not to strike back.They can gas the tunnels.Now England ,France and America are pressuring Israel not to destroy Hamas. Everyday there’s a new excuse for not launching around offensive and every day they claim to kill the senior Hamas terrorist but it is always someone you never hear of as opposed to the four we know. The longer they wait the worse it becomes.
One of the more outrageous bewildering statements here and told to a reporter by a hamas terrorist y’s, that their ” religion” obligates them to treat the hostages as guests! But the same “religion” doesn’t mind if they slaughter men, women and children. Repulsive
I hope they release her husband. No good deed goes unpunished with Hamas.
The nework wast of tunnels has to be flooded with Mediterranean sea water before they stand a chance.
They are trying to clear out as much as they can. The earlier they send in troops,
the more harm and danger to IDF.
Jerusalem observer – “We can only hope…”
HOW DARE YOU!? Hold your curses! Keep your hate for fellow Jews in your heart!
These people were captured because Jewish blood – the same blood as yours – runs in their veins.
I understand the irony of the situation, and I hope this will send a message to these naive peace-lovers. But this is not an excuse for wishing harm ch”v on Jews. No one appointed you to be the prosecutor, we already have the satan for that, and chazal instruct us: אל תפתח פה לשטן – DON’T open your mouth to the satan!
“The lack of intelligence in the IDF and the Shin Bet greatly affected us. We were the scapegoat. The IDF did not take the [terror] balloons and fires seriously. We received a warning three weeks ago. They burned our field and the IDF didn’t take it seriously”
Ain anu liheshain elah al avinu shebashomayim.
Why wasn’t the caption: Freed Captive Speaks: “They made sure we had good conditions… They were very friendly to us.” ?
It’s hard to believe they had such good conditions under these monsters y’s. You never know what they did to them before and if all the hostages are in these same ”good” conditions. Who knows if they drugged them up and what else they did and maybe they are only releasing those who were treated better. We should never be happy when any Yid is suffering whether secular or religious. The satmar rebbe who spoke out very strongly against Zionism cried bitter tears when even a one Jewish Israeli soldier was killed every Neshama is a cheilek eloka memaal.
Obviously they gave them food once a day. They need to keep them alive because they are using them as bargaining chips.
basics:
Stockholm syndrome is a proposed condition in which hostages develop a psychological bond with their captors.
dont be suprised if this happens to the hostages. more likely with more time
This moron proves that some people are so stupid you can’t beat sense into them with a stick — literally. She was beaten cruelly and still she praises their hospitality and made sure to shake her captor’s hand.