In the past week, Sharone Lifschitz has been with her mother almost all the time.
Yocheved, who is 85 years old, was one of two women who were set free from being held by Hamas in Gaza on Monday. She was taken away from her house in Nir Oz.
Sharone said that her mom is very strong and brave, but she still cares a lot about the people who are still trapped in those underground tunnels where the hostages from the 7 October Hamas attack are believed to be kept.
Sharone, a person who is a citizen of both the UK and Israel, traveled to Israel when she received the news that her mother had been set free.
However, it was a mixture of both positive and negative emotions. Yocheved’s husband, Oded, who is 83 years old and they have been married for 63 years, is still missing. It is believed that he is being kept against his will in the Gaza Strip.
Sharone shared with the BBC that her father dedicated his life to promoting peace and believed in the chance for Israelis and Palestinians to live peacefully alongside each other. She said this after her mother was freed.
He thought that you can make peace with the people who are against you. I hope he is well. I hope he can speak Arabic and that he is getting medical treatment.
The Lifschitz family had been living in Nir Oz for a long time and knew almost all of the approximately 400 other residents. Nir Oz is a community that is open to new ideas and combines farming and industry.
Over 100 people were believed to have been killed or taken by Hamas gunmen when they went on a violent rampage at the kibbutz on October 7th.
Right now, Sharone is spending her time assisting her mother in her slow recovery. She is also trying to persuade the Israeli government and its allies from different countries to take more action in order to release the 229 Israeli and foreign hostages who are still being held by Hamas in Gaza.
She thinks that it’s better to delay Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to attack Gaza with tanks and a large number of soldiers in order to “defeat Hamas. ” This will provide more time for negotiations to free the hostages.
The people living in the kibbutz were not successful. Sharone is still shocked and confused at how long it took for the Israeli government and army to help these people who had to take care of themselves for nine hours.
We were killed and no one showed up for a long time. The main goal should be to help these people return to their communities and families.
Sharone explains that her mother is generally a positive person, which is why she extended a peaceful gesture to one of the people who held her captive. She shook his hand and said “shalom”, which means peace, when she was being handed over to the International Committee for the Red Cross.
Some people in Israel have raised doubts about the handshake, but her daughter explains that she did what she believed was the right thing to do at that time.
Sharone said that the man was a medical worker who had taken care of Yocheved while she was held captive. They also talked about bringing peace to the area. But Sharone wanted to emphasize that although Yocheved had received care after the violent abduction, it should not take away from the difficult experience the hostages went through.
Before Yocheved was released this week, there was no information about the Nir Oz residents who were taken to Gaza on motorbikes and cars.
Eight-year-old Ohad Munder-Zichri, along with his mother and two grandparents, have been taken by kidnappers.
Ohad’s cousin Osnat, who is 54 years old, said that the boy is really intelligent and talented.
“He is excellent at everything he does from the time he was born,” she explains.
Osnat and her children moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem to live with their family and avoid the rockets coming from Gaza.
The surprise attack on Nir Oz, a place created by her parents in the 1950s, was very shocking.
Osnat said, “Picture yourself sitting in your house. ” “You haven’t harmed anyone, but bad people enter your home, remove you forcefully, and abduct you. ”
She said that one of her cousins died in the attack.
This week was Ohad’s ninth birthday, but his family said they can’t have a celebration until he and the rest of his family are no longer restricted or confined.
After she was set free, Yocheved was able to tell what it was like when she was kept captive. She also said that there were other people from Nir Oz with her, but Ohad and Oden, who is Sharone’s father, were not there.
Sharone says it’s too soon to think about what will happen next, even though her mother was let go. Her parents’ house in Nir Oz burned down and they lost everything, including her mom’s photography career and her dad’s time as a journalist.
She says she will not go back to her family in the UK, and her mother Yocheved will not stop worrying until Oded and the other people from Kibbutz Nir Oz, including Ohad, are released.
Sharone said that the man was someone who helped take care of Yocheved when she was kept against her will, and he talked to her about finding peace in the area. But Sharone wanted to make it clear that the care Yocheved received after the violent kidnapping should not make people forget about the difficult experience the hostages faced.
Yocheved was let go or set free this week. Previously, there was no information or updates regarding the Nir Oz residents who were transported to Gaza using motorcycles and cars.
Ohad Munder-Zichri, who is just eight years old, was taken by bad people with his mother and two grandparents.
Ohad’s older cousin, Osnat, who is 54 years old, said that the boy is really smart and skilled.
She says he is really good at everything he does, starting from when he was born. Please rephrase this text in simpler language: ”
Osnat and her children left Tel Aviv and went to Jerusalem to live with their family because they didn’t want to be near the rockets that were being launched from Gaza.
The unexpected attack on Nir Oz, a place that her parents created in the 1950s, was very surprising.
Osnat told me to imagine myself sitting at home. You did nothing bad to anyone, but some very mean people come into your home, take you out forcefully, and make you go with them even if you don’t want to. Please rephrase this text using simpler language: ”
She says that her cousin died in the attack.
Ohad turned nine years old this week, but his family is waiting to have a celebration until everyone in the family is available.
After Yocheved was released, she could finally describe her experience of being held captive. She said that some other people from Nir Oz were there, but Ohad and Sharone’s dad, Oden, were not with them.
Sharone’s mom got fired, but Sharone believes it’s too early to start planning for the future. A fire destroyed her parents’ house in Nir Oz. Everything, including her mom’s job as a photographer and her dad’s past as a journalist, has been gone.
She says she will not return to her family in the UK, and her mother Yocheved will not stop until Oded and the other people in Kibbutz Nir Oz, like Ohad, are set free.