I went through hell

Israeli women, 85 & 79, freed as UN chief slams 'law violations' in Gaza

- CHRIS HUGHES

ISRAELI hostage Yocheved Lifshitz, 85, shook the hand of a masked Hamas gunman as he freed her from 16 days of hellish captivity in Gaza.

Ms Lifshitz and Nurit Cooper, 79, were released as hopes grew for more kidnap victims to return home after the Hamas massacre in southern Israel on October 7.

Speaking from Tel Aviv's Ichilov Hospital, Ms Lifshitz told reporters the extremists' bloody raid was "a hell we knew before and never thought we would experience".

It came before Israel called on UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to resign last night after he denounced "clear violations" of international law by them in Gaza.

He also said the Hamas attack "did not happen in a vacuum".

Ms Lifshitz was handed over to the Red Cross on Monday night and shook her captor's hand, wishing him well, saying "Shalom".

Asked why she made the gesture, she said Hamas treated her "with softness and supplied all our needs".

But she also told of her brutal abduction, saying: "Masses swarmed our houses, beat people and some were taken hostage.

Ms Lifshitz had to lie across a motorbike when taken from Kibbutz Nir Oz.

She was also struck with sticks on the ribs and forced into a spiderweb of tunnels.

Ms Lifshitz's sons and daughter Sharone, who lives in London, visited her in hospital yesterday.