'Was taken into spiderweb-like tunnels': Freed Israeli hostage recounts horror of two-week captivity in Gaza

Hamas freed two more hostages on Monday night, taking the total number of freed captives to four. An elderly Israeli hostage, who was released yesterday, said she was hit by Hamas terrorists when she was taken into Gaza on October 7, but was treated well later during her two-week captivity in the Palestinian enclave.

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Yocheved Lifshitz, 85, was one of two women freed late Monday, according to Reuters. Lifshitz said she was hit by Hamas terrorists and was taken into "spiderweb-like tunnels" inside Gaza. She said a doctor had visited her while she was held in a network of tunnels within Gaza and that all her needs had been taken care of. "Hamas treated us gently and met all our needs," said Lifshitz.

After launching the deadliest attack on Israel on October 7, Hamas terrorists took over 200 hostages including women and children. So far, Hamas has released four hostages including two Americans. In a statement on Telegram, the military wing of Hamas said it had decided to release the two women for humanitarian and poor health grounds. Nurit Cooper, 79, was another woman released by Hamas.

Cooper's and Lifshitz's husbands, Amiram, 85, and Oded, 83, who were kidnapped together with them from Kibbutz Nir Oz near the Gaza border, continue to remain in Hamas custody, along with other hostages, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. "We will continue to work in every way for their return."

On Friday, Hamas freed two American hostages - a woman and her daughter. They were kidnapped on October 7 after a cross-border attack in which Hamas killed 1,400 people.

The New York Times on Sunday reported that the Biden administration had advised Israel to delay a ground invasion of Gaza, hoping to buy time for hostage negotiations. The advice to the Israelis to hold off on the land war was being conveyed through Defense Secretary Lloyd J Austin III, the report said citing two US officials.

However, Israel's energy minister Israel Katz told the German tabloid newspaper Bild that Israel will not hold off on a possible ground invasion of Gaza over the issue of captives being held there. In an interview published on Tuesday, Katz said everything would be done to bring the hostages home. "But that cannot hinder our actions including the ground offensive, if we decide on it...Hamas wants us to deal with the captives and wants the military to not go in to eliminate their infrastructure. That will not happen," Katz added.