An elderly Israeli hostage who was released by Hamas overnight said she had been beaten by the militants when she was abducted and taken to Gaza on Oct 7, but was then treated well during her two-week captivity in the Palestinian enclave.
“They treated us with respect, provided us with medicine, took care of our hygiene, and brought doctors to examine us. They were very friendly,” she said as her daughter, Sharone Livschitz, translated her answers to a group of reporters waiting for her response.
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.
“They took care of all the needs and if there are women here who know what women’s hygiene is they made sure that we get everything we needed,” Lifshitz told reporters, speaking while seated in a wheelchair outside the Tel Aviv hospital, where she was taken following her release.
"They treated us with respect, provided us with medicine, took care of our hygiene, and brought doctors to examine us. They were very friendly."
This is what Yocheved Livschitz, an elderly Israeli woman released yesterday from Hamas custody in Gaza, told reporters this morning. pic.twitter.com/aYFAKBTbdk
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) October 24, 2023
“They gave us pitta bread, hard cheese, some low fat cream cheese, and cucumber and that was our food for the entire day,” she added.
Lifshitz added that the group was “very delicate and gentle” with them and took care of all their needs.
She criticised the Israel Defence Forces for not taking a previous “warning” from Hamas seriously enough. Her daughter said it was “wonderful” to have her mother home and they hope for all the hostages to return
