Starmer ‘deeply saddened' by death of UK-linked hostage after body returned
The Prime Minister has said he is 'deeply saddened' by the death of UK-linked Hamas hostage Oded Lifshitz.
The body of Mr Lifshitz, 84, was confirmed as one of four returned to Israel by Hamas on Thursday, as part of an ongoing prisoner exchange under the current ceasefire agreement.
Mr Lifshitz's family, including his British-based daughter, Dr Sharone Lifschitz, had received no information on his whereabouts since the Hamas attack on October 7 2023, when he was taken from Kibbutz Nir Oz.
Sir Keir Starmer said on Thursday: 'I was deeply saddened to hear of the death of Oded Lifshitz after he was taken hostage by terrorists in Gaza, and I extend my heartfelt condolences to his daughter Sharone and his wife Yocheved.
'When I met Sharone in Downing Street, she showed remarkable strength in the face of the most difficult circumstances.
'The news of her father's death is a tragedy. It is my hope that the peace he worked to see in the region through his charity work and activism will be achieved.
'My thoughts are also with the Bibas family, who have faced immense pain as they awaited news of Shiri and her sons Kfir and Ariel.
'We must see all remaining hostages released, and the ceasefire upheld. My government remains committed to working with our international partners to bring an end to this suffering and secure a long-term peace in the Middle East.'
Earlier on Thursday, a statement from Mr Lifshitz's family, released by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters, said: 'We received with deep sorrow the official and bitter news confirming the identification of our beloved Oded's body.
STATEMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE BY LAWYERS FOR THE BRITISH HOSTAGE FAMILIES
20 February 2025
Today, 20 February 2025, is one of immense sadness, and of failure.It appears that 503 days after they were taken from their homes by Hamas terrorists, the bodies of four people have… pic.twitter.com/B9EKEKZnlY
— Adam Wagner (@AdamWagner1) February 20, 2025
'Five hundred and three agonising days of uncertainty have come to an end. We had hoped and prayed so much for a different outcome.
'Now we can mourn the husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather who has been missing from us since October 7.
'Our family's healing process will begin now and will not end until the last hostage is returned.'
Mr Lifshitz was a retired Israeli journalist, a great-grandfather and a grandfather of 11.
His wife, Yocheved, 86, was also taken hostage but was released two weeks later.
Adam Wagner, the lawyer for Dr Lifschitz, 53, of Walthamstow, east London, and other British hostage families, said: 'Today, 20 February 2025, is one of immense sadness, and of failure.
'It appears that 503 days after they were taken from their homes by Hamas terrorists, the bodies of four people have been returned to Israel.
'It is understood that three of those bodies are of Shiri Bibas, and her two little children, Ariel and her baby, Kfir. We are horrified at their deaths.
'The fourth body is believed to be that of Oded Lifshitz, aged 84, whose daughter, our client Dr Sharone Lifschitz, is British, and whose wife, Yocheved… was freed in October 2023, also after being taken hostage.'
Stella Creasy, the MP for Walthamstow, said that she was 'heartbroken'.
In a post on Bluesky on Thursday she described the news as a 'devastating blow'.
'We had hoped for a miracle – to be able to welcome Oded Lifshitz back to his family and to join them in Walthamstow,' she said.
'A man who dedicated his life to fighting for peace between Israel and Palestine, driving ambulances across the border to help.'
She added: 'The news today and pictures (are) a devastating blow. We stand with our neighbour, Sharone Lifschitz, in her grief and in sharing the stories of his work.'
The statement from Mr Wagner described him as someone whose 'life has always been dedicated to peace'.
Fellow British-linked hostage Eli Sharabi was among those freed earlier this month, but his relieved family said he looked 'incredibly frail' and 'the spark was gone from his eyes'.
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