“They took good care of the wounded”: an elderly woman released by Hamas tells how she was captured and what conditions were like in captivity

Yocheved Lifshitz, one of the elderly Israelis released this Monday by Hamas, said that despite initially experiencing “hell” at the hands of the Islamic militant group, she later had access to adequate medical care during her captivity. In statements to the international press, explained how she was captured and described the conditions in which the hostages were kept.

“They broke into our homes. They beat and kidnapped people, old and young, without distinction,” Yocheved Lifshitz said.

The 85-year-old woman says she was grabbed by Hamas members and taken to Gaza on a motorcycle. She was attacked during the trip and says she had difficulty breathing.

“When I was riding a motorcycle, my head was on one side and my whole body was on the other. On the way, I was hit by young people. My ribs weren’t broken, but it was painful and I had trouble breathing. “, He said.

The Israeli had to walk several kilometers on wet ground before he was taken into an underground tunnel and united with a group of 24 people. From that moment on, the attitude of the members of the military group towards the hostages changed.

Lifshitz says the room they were in was clean and that everyone’s hygiene was taken into account. A doctor visited them every two or three days to provide them with medical care.

“They took good care of the wounded,” explains the elderly woman.

According to the woman, the hostages slept on mattresses on the floor and were fed white cheese and cucumbers.

Yocheved Lifshitz is a peace activist who, along with her husband, spent years helping sick Palestinians in the Gaza Strip get to hospital, her grandson said Reuters.

Yocheved Lifshitz’s husband was also captured and remains a Hamas hostage.