After 503 days of uncertainty the family of 84-year-old Oded Lifschitz has received confirmation he was killed in captivity after being taken hostage by Hamas on October 7, 2023.
The return of his body to Israel on Thursday has shattered his loved ones, especially his wife, Yocheved, who was also abducted but later released alive.
Lifschitz, a British-Israeli journalist and lifelong advocate for Palestinian rights, was known for his dedication to peace. He had spent years transporting sick Palestinians to Israeli hospitals for medical treatment and had even met Yasser Arafat in his efforts to foster dialogue. But despite his history of solidarity, he was among the hundreds of civilians seized from Kibbutz Nir Oz and taken to Gaza during the October 7 attacks.
The head of Israel’s National Institute of Forensic Medicine determined that Oded was murdered over a year ago while still in captivity.
The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office stated that the killing was carried out by the “Islamic Jihad terrorist organisation.” His wife, Yocheved, who had been freed in a previous hostage deal, spoke at a peace event just days before the news broke, reflecting on her husband’s tragic fate: “Oded was a great fighter for peace. He had very good relations with Palestinians, and the thing that hurts the most is they betrayed him.”
The October 7 attacks, which resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 people—mostly civilians—also saw 251 others kidnapped and taken to Gaza. In response, Israel launched a massive military operation against Hamas, which, according to Gaza’s health authorities, has resulted in over 48,000 Palestinian deaths, the majority being civilians.
Despite the suffering, the Lifschitz family is determined that Oded’s legacy of peace will endure. His daughter, Sharone, has used her platform as a filmmaker and academic to raise awareness of the trauma faced by hostage families, demanding accountability and action. The family’s British legal team noted Yocheved’s unique role in the crisis: “She must be the only person to have met Sinwar, Netanyahu, and the Pope—and given them all a piece of her mind. That is the kind of extraordinary person she is,” she told British state media.
Why is such propaganda rehashed by DT without caveat?
Perhaps because the deseased was an honorable jew helping palestinians.
But it is israhell saying he was ” murdered”. Murdered by whom ?