A British-Israeli woman named Sharone Lifschitz has spoken about the “incredibly meaningful” experience of finally being able to bury her 83-year-old father, Oded Lifschitz, who died while in captivity after being taken hostage by Palestinian gunmen on October 7. Sharone and her mother, Yocheved, were taken hostage from their home, but while Yocheved was released in late October, Oded was held for 503 days. The Israeli government stated that Oded had been murdered in captivity over a year earlier, attributing the crime to the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization.

Sharone expressed her relief at knowing her father was no longer suffering after learning of his fate and was able to say goodbye in a memorial event. She emphasized the importance of all families being reunited with their relatives, both those who are still alive and the bodies Hamas is still holding. The first phase of a temporary truce between Israel and Hamas saw the release of 25 living Israeli hostages and eight dead hostages, but talks to extend the ceasefire and release more hostages have so far failed to reach an agreement.

Sharone called for continued efforts to return all hostages home and honored her father’s dedication to peace throughout her speech.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5yrv2v4zg6o