Gaza’s daughter for hostage Oded Lifshitz says a buried father was “incredibly meaningful”

A British-Israeli woman whose father died captive after being hostage to Palestinian artillerymen on October 7th said his body’s return Last month was “incredibly meaningful”.

“My father’s return and the opportunity to bury him was one of the deepest things,” said Sharon Lifshitz, after the family finally managed to funeral for 83-year-old Oded Lifshitz.

Both her father and her mother were taken as hostages from their home by Palestinian artillerymen, but while her 85-year-old mother Yocheved was released at the end of October 2023, Oded took 503 days.

When His body was returned in February The Israeli Government said it was killed in captivity over a year earlier.

The Israeli Prime Minister’s service said Oded “was killed in captivity by the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization.”

“This is not the result we hoped,” Sharon told the BBC on Sunday.

“But it is a relief to understand that he was not suffering. We were so worried about his well -being and his suffering, and he suffered before he died, and he died in the most horrifying circumstances.”

Sharon spoke to the BBC News at a memorial event at the JW3 Community Center in London.

Hundreds of people came to express their respect, including MPs, Foreign Minister Hamish Falconene, Chief Rabbi and other British-Israeli families whose relatives were killed on October 7 or hostages.

Sharon said that “being able to say goodbye” shows how important it is that all families reunite with their relatives, both those who are still alive and the bodies that Hamas still holds.

The first phase of a temporary truce between Israel and Hamas ended on March 1 and saw Hamas release 25 living Israeli hostages and eight dead hostages that he caught during his attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023.

In return, Israel released about 1900 prisoners and detained by Gaza.

Calls to extend the termination of fire and release more hostages so far failed to reach an agreementS

“Getting my father’s remains came back and I could say goodbye to him really was incredibly meaningful to me, more than I could imagine, bring him back to us, far from such horrific events, from which he was part of his last days,” said Sharo.

“It is very difficult to reconcile the fact that we were not there for him. But at least now we know that he is back with us. I hope he knows how much we love him.

“By having to close him, to know that my father is dead and buried, he really brings to the fore how important it is to bring everyone, living and dead hostages so that all families can bury their loved ones.”

She said he had been detained alive and wounded in Gaza a few weeks after he was captured, but “he did not give up his humanity.”

Hamish Sokoner, a Lincoln MP and Minister of the Middle East, said: “It was important for me to be here and to give my respect for the tragic loss of Oded.

“Sharon is a pillar of power and dignity, and I couldn’t admire her anymore. We have to bring home all those who still hold hostage, as she said, and as Oded would want.”

Oded was a journalist and a veteran peace campaign that brought sick Palestinians to hospitals in Israel for treatment. In his Palestinian Rights campaign, he met with Yasser Arafat, then the head of the Palestine Liberation Organization.

Since October 7, Sharon, director and academic, has been a campaign vigorously for his parents’ release.

BBC were with Sharon at her home in East London when the deal to stop fire was announced In January.

She shed tears of joy, hoping that she would finally find her father’s fate, since after more than a year of him being held hostage, she does not know if he is alive or dead.

Yocheved Lifshitz said earlier that her husband was a great peace campaign. “He had a very good relationship with the Palestinians and what hurt the most was that they betrayed him,” she said.

Speaking to the BBC, after her mother was released from captivity, Sharon said that Oded had “spent his life in the movement of peace and he struggled for the possibility of both nations (Israelis and Palestinians) living side by side.”

At the Memorial event on Sunday Sharon said, “I cannot give up peace in my own life. Therefore, I cannot give up peace of another scale. Peace is where we want to be. Is the road long?