'Went through hell', says one of two Israeli hostages set free by Hamas

New Delhi, October 24

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Hamas released two more hostages, Yocheved Lifshitz and Nurit Cooper, both from Israel, late on Monday.

Speaking to mediapersons, Lifshitz (85) said she was beaten up by militants when she was abducted and taken to Gaza on October 7, but was then treated well during her two-week captivity in the Palestinian enclave. “I have been through hell,” Lifshitz told reporters in Tel Aviv. Lifshitz said the hostages and captors ate only one meal a day of cheese and cucumber. Lifshitz’s husband, however, remains a hostage with about 220 others.

Asked why she shook a Hamas militant’s hand while leaving, Lifshitz said, “Because they treated us very nicely.”

Giving an insight into Hamas infrastructure, she said once in Gaza, they walked several kilometres to reach a network of tunnels that looked like a “spider web”.