"I went through hell," says newly released Hamas hostage Yocheved Lifshitz

Tel Aviv [Israel], October 24 : One of the two hostages recently freed by the Hamas, Yocheved Lifshitz, has said she "went through hell" after being kidnapped by the terrorist group in the October 7 attack on Israel, CNN reported.
The 85-year-old on Tuesday remembered the moment she was abducted by gunmen on motorbikes after militants broke into her home in the Kibbutz Nir Oz.
Lifshitz said: "It was difficult but we will get through this."
She made the remarks at the Tel Aviv hospital where she has been recovering since being freed.
Hamas released Lifshitz and her neighbour and friend Nurit Cooper, 79, on Monday, and later they were reunited with family members who rushed to their bedside at Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv.
Lifshitz's grandson Daniel, who heard of her release while staying at a hotel in Eilats with other evacuees from Nir Oz, said: "She's talking, she can walk, she can hug her grandchildren... It is incredible that we see her."
He said news of her release spread joy and hope that others may be freed soon.
"For this community to see these two old women was just an amazing thing," said Daniel Lifshitz, who took a helicopter from the hotel to see his grandmother in the early hours of Tuesday, as per CNN.
More than a quarter of the Nir Oz community is dead or remains missing after the Hamas terror attack on October 7 which killed more than 1,400 people in barbaric raids, triggering Israeli reprisals that threaten to tip into regional conflict.
The release of the two women brings the total number of captives freed to four, but more than 200 hostages are believed to be trapped in Gaza, some within the labyrinth of Hamas tunnels dug beneath the coastal strip.
The remaining hostages include Lifshitz and Cooper's husbands, Oded Lifshitz, 83, and Amiram Cooper, 85.
Recently, Yocheved's daughter Sharone told CNN that she was "delighted" about her mother's release but fears for her father and others being held.
"My father is there and so many other people we know are waiting for good news about everyone. We don't know what's going on with them. Not even know if they're alive or what their situation is," she said.
Lifshitz and Cooper have for decades lived within the close community of Nir Oz, once home to 400 people near the Gaza border. Being so close to the barrier fence, it was one of the first communities targeted by Hamas militants--and one of the worst hit.
Rows of houses now stand devoid of life, their windows broken, bedrooms torched, and residents' possessions strewn all around. Video footage shows dried blood smeared on beds and floors, with the walls pocked with bullet holes, as per CNN.
Lifshitz is one of the community's founders and worked as a photographer and a teacher at the regional high school, according to a Nir Oz community statement.
Cooper was also a long-term resident and worked in early childhood education and at the local paint factory, the statement said.
Lifshitz and her husband had both been receiving medical care before they were taken, according to their daughter, who spoke to CNN from London's Heathrow airport as she was about to board a flight to Israel.
"They are not the kind of people who can survive without medicine," Sharone Lifschitz said.
"My mom needs oxygen when she sleeps and suffers from a lot of back pain," she added.
Head nurse at Ichilov hospital, Eti Uziel on Tuesday said both women appeared to be in "OK medical condition."
"They will stay with us tonight and tomorrow," Uziel said in a video released by the hospital shortly after the women's arrival.
"Right now, for them and family members, it is a very, very emotional situation, and we are happy that they are here with us."
Meanwhile, an EL AL plane that arrived at Ben Gurion Airport on October 24 wasn't filled with passengers or suitcases. In the absence of passengers, the charter flight, which was delivering medical supplies, placed photos of individual hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza.
Israel Defence Forces Spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said on Monday that the military has so far confirmed 222 people kidnapped.
"We all feel so helpless because everyone knows someone in Israel or has a family member fighting in Israel," said Lizzy Straus of CareOne, a US senior care provider who was among the sponsors of the delivery.
"Knowing that you're doing everything you can to help them changes things. It gives you hope. A lot of hope and love went into everything that's been happening, and we're grateful to have been able to partner with some wonderful organisations" she added.
While the cargo hold was packed with 16 pallets of medical equipment, nearly all of the Dreamliner's 271 seats held 203 duffel bags loaded with medical supplies earmarked for United Hatzalah, an Israeli voluntary emergency response organisation.
Items delivered included ventilators, suction devices, feeding tubes, gauze and tourniquets.