THE PAIN STRUCK DEEP FOR SHARON LIFSHITZ as the truce between Israel and Hamas broke down early this month. Her 85-yearold mother, Yocheved, had been among the first hostages to be freed by Hamas in late October, even before the brief halt in hostilities a month later to swap some of the captives it seized in its unprecedentedly bloody October 7 raid on Israel in exchange for Palestinian security prisoners held in Israeli jails. Her 83-year-old father, Oded, is still in Gaza somewhere. She does not know if he is alive.
"Our loved ones are dying slowly in Gaza. My father is probably a mile from here. He's not far, he's not in another world. You can walk it in half an hour," Lifshitz told Newsweek in the burned ruins of her parents' house in Kibbutz Nir Oz, just three fields away from the Gaza Strip. "They are there. They are dead or they are dying. We don't even know," she said.
"If a ceasefire is the way, then why start the fire again?" she asks, tearing up. "Why are they not back? Why are we not turning every stone? Why are we not saying 'Yes we will do what we take to get them home?"
"We are being failed at the moment, I feel, by all agencies, by all governments and especially the Israeli government," she said. "We do not have this time."
Like many other family members of the hostages still held in Gaza, she is not convinced that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his war cabinet are doing all they can to prioritize getting their relatives out over the other mission of destroying Hamas in a war that has brought devastation to Gaza and killed thousands of Palestinians.
The fears were underlined by the announcement on Friday, December 15, when the army said it had accidentally killed three hostages after erroneously identifying them as a threat.
Red Cross Accused
Esta historia es de la edición December 29, 2023 de Newsweek US.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición December 29, 2023 de Newsweek US.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Terry Crews
FOR TERRY CREWS, THERE ARE NO RULES.
Carrie Coon
CARRIE COON IS HAVING A MOMENT, EVEN THOUGH YOU MAY NOT RECognize her.
Still Doin' It Well
Ahead of the release of his new album, The FORCE, LL Cool J told Newsweek of his strong desire to keep contributing to the hip-hop culture he helped create
WORLD'S MOST TRUSTWORTHY COMPANIES 2024
TRUST IS AN ESSENTIAL PART OF ANY RELATIONSHIP-FROM PERsonal relationships to ties between businesses and consumers.
HOPE and HEALING on HORSEBACK
IT'S BEEN A DECADE SINCE ISIS COMMITTED GENOCIDE AGAINST IRAQ'S YAZIDI POPULATION. MORE THAN 100,000 YAZIDIS REMAIN DISPLACED BUT WORKERS AND ANIMALS AT AN EQUINE THERAPY CENTER ARE PROVIDING RELIEF
Is College Worth It?
AMERICANS are LOSING FAITH in HIGHER EDUCATION amid RISING TUITION FEES, UNCERTAIN PAYOFF and CULTURE WARS on CAMPUS
An integrated model for water management
Alkhorayef Water and Power Technologies has deep expertise and synergistic capabilities across the full water and wastewater value chain
Investments that are transforming life in Saudi Arabia
Abdullah Al Othaim Investment Company is creating distinctive destinations and experiences that encompass multiple sectors
A Kinder and Gentler Nick Cave
After a period of personal upheaval, the famed Bad Seeds singer returns with the vibrant and optimistic 'Wild God'
Fleeing War and Scams
Newsweek spoke to three Ukrainians who have been targeted by \"sponsors\" trying to profit from applicants seeking refuge in the U.S. via a humanitarian scheme