At a live press conference from a Tel Aviv hospital, Yocheved Lifshitz spoke about the two weeks she spent in Gaza, about Al-Qassam and the Israeli army.
One of the two elderly Israeli women who were released on Monday by Al-Qassam Brigades, the military arm of the Palestinian Resistance Movement, Hamas, said at a press conference held at Tel Aviv’s Ichilov Hospital that Palestinian fighters treated them well.
Her comments irritated many Israelis, who questioned why a live press conference was held without government approval in the first place.
Shampoo and Conditioner
Yocheved Lifshitz, 85, said that the fighters had treated her and other captives well, were friendly to them, took care of their needs, and provided them with the necessary medical care.
She also said that the fighters had reassured them that they would not be harmed, providing them with food and drink during their detention.
“They told us that they believe in the Quran, that they will not harm us, that they will treat us as they treat those around them,” she said.
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“Every few days, a doctor would come to us to follow up on us and he was keen to provide us with medicines, and we would eat bread with white cheese and cucumbers just like they do,” she said.
In response to a question about why she shook hands with Palestinian Resistance members who accompanied her and another elderly woman during her release, she replied that she did so because “they treated her and the rest of the prisoners well and took care of all their needs.”
“They were very kind and made sure we had enough to eat and drink. They treated us well, they took care of every detail.”
“Hamas has been planning everything for a long time, they have prepared everything we need, including shampoo and conditioner,” she added.
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The elderly Israeli criticized the Israeli security services and army, saying, “The lack of competence of the army and the Shin Bet has hurt us a lot, we have been a scapegoat for the government.”
Abu Obeida, spokesman for the Al-Qassam Brigades, announced on Monday that the group has released the two Israelis following mediation carried out by Egypt, and that Israeli authorities had initially refused to receive them.
The video, provided by Al-Qassam Brigades, of the moment the two elderly Israelis were handed over to Red Cross workers, showed a friendly exchange between the released hostages and the fighters, followed by a handshake, and the words ‘Shalom’, ‘Salam’ – meaning peace – exchanged.
(PC, AJA, SOCIAL MEDIA)
