A grandmother released as a hostage by Hamas militants is “very sharp and is very keen” to share information, her daughter has said, as efforts continue to free the other captives and supply aid to Palestinians.
Sharone Lifschitz, who is based in London, said her 85-year-old mother, Yocheved Lifshitz, “seems OK” after being freed from her weeks-long ordeal in Gaza.
She was released alongside fellow Israeli citizen Nurit Cooper, 79, on Monday evening, but their husbands, 83 and 84, remain captive with more than 200 other civilians.
Britain said six of its nationals are among those still being held hostage since Hamas launched its bloody raids on Israel on October 7.
Being released by the Palestinian militants, Ms Lifshitz was seen reaching back to shake one of their hands as she was released to Red Cross officials.
Ms Lifschitz, an artist and academic who spells her name differently from her mother, said it was “incredible” to be reunited with her – “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 said she will continue to campaign for the release of her father, Oded Lifschitz, and the other captives.
“I hope he is being looked after and has the chance to talk,” Sharone Lifschitz said.
“He speaks good Arabic, so he can communicate very well with the people there.
“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.”
Ms 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.”
