Father of American teenage hostage freed by Hamas says she is ‘doing very good’
A freed Israeli hostage said she has been through “hell” in a “spiderweb” of underground tunnels during the 17 days she was held captive in Gaza by Hamas.
Yocheved Lifshitz, 85, was “taken through ploughed fields” and hit by Hamas fighters as she was taken into Gaza by the militants following its deadly terror attack on southern Israel which left up to 1,400 dead.
But she added the group “looked after our needs” and fed her pitta bread, hard cheese, low fat cream cheese and cucumber.
Mrs Lifshitz and Nurit Yitzhak, 79, were both kidnapped from the same kibbutz – Nir Oz – near the border with Gaza, but were released in a deal brokered by Qatar and Egypt on Monday.
It comes as the Israel Defence Forces said it had struck over 400 targets in Gaza in the last 24 hours, including a Hamas gunman, tunnel shafts and command centres.
Meanwhile, 5,100 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip since Israel vowed to eradicate Hamas and began its bombing campaign of the territory, Gazan officials said.
Elderly hostage was kidnapped by motorbike and ‘hit by sticks’
A freed Israeli hostage said she has “been through hell” during the 17 days she was held captive in Gaza by Hamas following its deadly terror attack on southern Israel which left up to 1,400 dead.
Yocheved Lifshitz, 85, was “taken through ploughed fields” and hit by Hamas fighters as she was taken into Gaza by the militants.
But she added the group “looked after our needs” and fed her pitta bread, hard cheese, low fat cream cheese and cucumber.
Yocheved Lifshitz said she had ‘been through hell’
(AP)
Alexander Butler24 October 2023 10:26
UN refugee agency calls for ‘unimpeded’ flow of humanitarian support
The United Nations Palestinian refugee agency has called for an “unimpeded flow” of humanitarian assistance to Gaza which has been trapped in crisis after two weeks of intense Israeli attacks.
“We call for an unimpeded and continuous flow of humanitarian assistance and medical assistance to continue coming into Gaza,” said Tamara Alrifai, spokesperson for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
“The trucks that have come in so far are just a trickle in the face of the immense needs of people on the street.”
Palestinians in UN tents in Khan Yunis, where millions have fled to from the north of Gaza
(Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
Alexander Butler24 October 2023 09:53
Israel strikes 400 targets in Gaza, IDF says
Israel has struck over 400 terrorist targets in Gaza in the last 24 hours, the IDF claimed.
Among the targets was a Hamas gunman setting up to fire rockets at Israel, a Hamas tunnel shaft and Hamas command centres.
“The IDF will continue operating in order to ensure the safety of innocent civilians,” it said.
Alexander Butler24 October 2023 09:49
Some pro-Palestine chants ‘don’t sit with our values’, says Tory minister
Alleged chants at pro-Palestine marches “don’t sit with our values as a country”, Tory minister Victoria Atkins said.
“I think actually the majority of people were shocked and upset, actually, to see some of the things that were allegedly being shouted or appearing on placards.
“But there were some who were saying things that just … don’t sit with our values as a country,” she told LBC.
Financial Secretary to the Treasury Victoria Atkins said there is not the ‘headroom’ to consider tax cuts (James Manning/PA)
(PA Wire)
Alexander Butler24 October 2023 09:40
Former Hamas hostage recalls ‘horrific’ mock execution experience
Former Hamas hostage recalls ‘horrific’ mock execution experience
Alexander Butler24 October 2023 09:35
Pictured: Yocheved Lifshitz released by Hamas
Yocheved Lifshitz, one of the two women released from Hamas captivity late Monday, sitting in a wheelchair at the hospital in Tel Aviv, Israel
(AP)
Yocheved Lifshitz being wheeled down a hallway at a hospital in Tel Aviv, Israel, after she was released by terror group Hamas
(AP)
Alexander Butler24 October 2023 09:20
Pictured: Gaza
Smoke billows during a sunset over Gaza and Israel
(AFP via Getty Images)
Mourners hug each other during the funeral of people killed in Israeli strikes earlier in Khan Yunis
(AFP via Getty Images)
Alexander Butler24 October 2023 09:13
Elderly mother released from Gaza after 16-day Hamas hostage ordeal
Elderly mother released from Gaza after 16-day Hamas hostage ordeal
Alexander Butler24 October 2023 09:00
France stands in solidarity with Israel’s fight against terrorism, Macron says
France will stand in solidarity with Israel in its fight against terrorism, President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday as he met with his Israeli counterpart Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem.
“What happened will never be forgotten,” Macron said, referring an assault on Israel in which the militant group Hamas killed over 1,400 people. “I am here to express our solidarity.”
Mr Macron added the first objective should be the release of all hostages “without distinction”. Mr Herzog said Israel does not make a distinction between those being held by Hamas with Israeli passports, and “anyone who holds another citizenship.”
France expresses solidarity with Israel
Alexander Butler24 October 2023 08:45
Hezbollah is ‘playing with fire’, Herzog says
The Iran-backed group Hezbollah in Lebanon is “playing with fire”, Israeli president Isaac Herzog warned.
In a joint media appearance with the French president Emmanuel Macron, Mr Herzog said: I want to make clear we are not looking for a confrontation in our northern border or with anyone else.
“We are focused on destroying Hamas infrastructure, and bringing our citizens back home. But if Hezbollah will drag us into war, it should be clear that Lebanon will pay the price.”
Israeli president Isaac Herzog and French president Emmanuel Macron
(Getty Images)
Alexander Butler24 October 2023 08:41