'Shalom' Hostage offers hand to militant

At the precise moment of her deliverance from a hellish ordeal, Yocheved Lifshitz paused and turned to grip the hand of one of the masked Hamas militants who had kept her captive. “Shalom,” she said.

- Rory Carroll, Jason Burke

The handshake and the Hebrew word for peace were a remarkable gesture by the 85-year-old Israeli, who later spoke of the brutality and mercy experienced during her 16 days as a hostage .

At a press conference yesterday , Lifshitz said that after initial violence her Hamas captors had shown “care” and “gentleness” in Gaza – a rare description of humanity in a savage conflict that may turn even bloodier . Lifshitz was released on Monday night with Nurit Yitzhak, 79, who also goes by the name Nurit Cooper, in a deal brokered by Egypt  and Qatar. As the two women were handed to aid workers Lifs hitz turned to a Hamas militant with an assault rifle and offered her hand .

After being reunited with relatives at the Ichilov hospital in Tel Aviv, the grandmother spoke of the horror of 7 October, when Hamas attackers rampaged through southern Israel , killing more than 1,400 people and abducting an estimated 220, including Britons .

Seated in a wheelchair and speaking calmly , Lifshitz said the attackers “went wild” after breaking through a security fence. “They killed and kidnapped both old and young with no distinction.”

She was tied to a motorcycle and driven to Gaza. “As we rode, the motorcycle rider hit me with a wooden pole. They didn’t break my ribs, but it hurt me a lot in that area, making it difficult to breathe. They stole my watch and jewellery.”