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Two elderly hostages taken by terror-labeled Hamas during its attack on Israel were released late on Monday. They have been flown to a hospital in Israel and have been allowed to meet relatives.
One of the released women tells how she was taken away on a motorbike.
Two elderly women held hostage were released on Monday after mediation by Qatar and Egypt. One of the women, 85-year-old Yocheved Lifshitz, tells Israeli media how she was kidnapped.
– They loaded me sideways onto a motorcycle so that I wouldn’t fall off, with one terrorist holding me from the front and another from behind, she says in Israeli media, reports AFP.
– They drove over the border fence into the Gaza Strip, and first they held me in the town of Abesan, which is near Be’eri. After that, I don’t know where I was taken, she says.
“Proud of her”
The BBC reached her daughter who went to Tel Aviv after the announcement. She testifies of mixed feelings and that the nurses told her that the mother is sharp and very keen to share information with relatives of other hostages she has been with.
– Seeing my mother again is an incredible thing. To hold her hand, just to kiss her face and her cheek, and I’m so proud of her, she’s amazing,” she told the BBC.
Hamas claims that “necessary humanitarian” reasons led to the release of the two women.
Hamas killed at least 1,400 people in the October 7 attack, most of them civilians who were shot or burned to death, according to Israeli reports. At the same time, 222 people were taken hostage, among them the elderly and young children. Among the hostages are also many people with dual or foreign citizenships.
Requirements from the United States
Previously, a woman and her daughter were released by Hamas, but the United States demands that the terror-labeled movement release all other abducted people before there can be talk of a cease-fire in Gaza.
In the Gaza Strip, more than 5,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in Israeli retaliatory attacks after Hamas’ bloody attack, according to the latest figures from Hamas-run health authorities. The data could not be confirmed by independent sources.
On Tuesday, French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Tel Aviv. 30 French citizens were killed in the Hamas attack and a French woman has been confirmed to be among the hostages.