Released Hamas Hostage Yocheved Lifshitz: What to Make of Her Testimony

You might say that Yocheved Lifshitz — an Israeli hostage released yesterday by Hamas — was one of the lucky ones. The 1,400 men, women, and children who died on October 7 were massacred in horrific ways. At this writing, only four — less than 2 percent — of an estimated 222 hostages taken into Gaza by terrorists on October 7 have been released.

Upon Lifshitz’s release, brokered by Qatar and Egypt, the 85-year-old Israeli said she had “been through hell.” She spoke of being beaten and robbed as Hamas “abducted the elderly and the young.” She has “these images all the time” embedded in her memory. Her husband is still being held hostage.

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Madeleine Kearns

Madeleine Kearns is a former staff writer at National Review.

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You might say that Yocheved Lifshitz — an Israeli hostage released yesterday by Hamas — was one of the lucky ones. The 1,400 men, women, and children who died on October 7 were massacred in horrific ways. At this writing, only four — less than 2 percent — of an estimated 222 hostages taken into Gaza by terrorists on October 7 have been released.

Upon Lifshitz’s release, brokered by Qatar and Egypt, the 85-year-old Israeli said she had “been through hell.” She spoke of being beaten and robbed as Hamas “abducted the elderly and the young.” She has “these images all the time” embedded in her memory. Her husband is still being held hostage.