Family of UK-linked hostage confirm ‘bitter news' of Hamas returning his body
The family of a UK-linked Hamas hostage have confirmed the 'bitter news' that his body is among those to have been returned to Israel.
The body of 84-year-old Oded Lifshitz was identified as one of the four returned by Hamas on Thursday, as part of an ongoing prisoner exchange in 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 October 7 attack, when he was taken from Kibbutz Nir Oz.
A statement from the 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.
'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.
In a statement shared earlier on Thursday, 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 where Dr Lifschitz lives said that she was 'heartbroken'.
In a post on Bluesky on Thursday morning, 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 out 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'.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
40 minutes ago
- The Sun
Two evil knife thugs who carried out unprovoked horror attacks on four strangers in Glasgow jailed for 14 years
A PAIR of knife thugs guilty of "gratuitous violence" on four strangers in less than two hours have been jailed for a total of 14 and a half years. Declan Fulton, 27, and Brandon Paterson, 22, struck late at night in Glasgow city centre last July. 2 One man was left with a horror facial wound for not having cigarettes to give them. Paterson was subject to five different bail orders at the time of the crimes. The pair were today sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow, having earlier admitted their guilt. Fulton was jailed for eight years, with Paterson locked up for six and a half years. The duo will also be supervised on their eventual release. Fulton already had previous for violence, weapons, disorder, theft and breaching court orders. Paterson was also a known offender. He flouted five separate bail orders - one for a drugs charge imposed just a week before these crimes. Explaining these attacks, prosecutor Neil McCulloch told the court: "This case relates to four incidents which took place in Glasgow city centre between 11.20pm on July 8 2024 and 1.30am on July 9. "This was the assault of several people - who are not known to Fulton and Paterson - at various locations." Gregor McHarg was first targeted while out walking his dog in Sauchiehall Street. Tourist caught filming small child in Scots park tells court he meant 'no harm' One threatened: "I will slit your dog's throat." Mr McHarg initially questioned them before both claimed they were armed with blades. The thugs stated: "Do you know who we are?" Fulton initially slashed at Mr McHarg and tried to stab him. The man branded them "cowards". Mr McHarg - bleeding from a wound to his elbow - then tailed the pair after they casually walked off. He approached them in nearby Bath Street where Fulton knifed him in the chest and Paterson hurled a traffic cone at him. Mr McHarg ended up needing hospital treatment, including for a punctured lung. Mr McCulloch said there was a "potential" threat to his life. He is also permanently scarred. The next victim was then set upon in a "seemingly unprovoked" attack in Buchanan Street about an hour later. Robert Anderson was punched by Fulton before Paterson joined in. After an attempt was made to smack him with a glass bottle, Fulton then slashed the man twice with a black-handled blade across the face. Mr Anderson ended up needing a total of 19 stitches for two wounds. Around 1.20am, Sergi Avila was walking with a friend in Dundas Street when the assailants asked for cigarettes. They did not have any to give. Mr McCulloch: "As a result, one of the pair began challenging Sergi Avila to fight before he approached from behind and slashed him to the right side of his face." One of the victims called you cowards, which is a good description of what you did... you will pay a heavy price Lord Mulholland This caused a nasty, disfiguring wound from this victim's mouth across his cheek to his ear. Fulton and Paterson fled the scene. After getting help from a nearby motorist, Mr Alva was taken to hospital for his injuries. The court heard, like the other men, he is also scarred for life. The final victim was Just Eat delivery driver Saoud Abdullah, minutes later. He was struck in Sauchiehall Street, having initially given an associate of the pair some water. Fulton went on to yank open the man's Just Eat bag and demanded his phone. Mr McCulloch: "Fulton slashed him on the left hand, causing it to bleed heavily." Mr Abdullah also ended up in hospital, having gone to a nearby hotel for help. During a probe to catch the attackers, Fulton was arrested later that day. It was almost a fortnight before Paterson was traced in Glasgow city centre. The pair admitted in court to being involved in three of the aggravated assaults, with Fulton alone pleading guilty to attacking Mr Abdullah. Sentencing, Lord Mulholland ordered one of the thugs to "be respectful" by taking his hands out of his pockets and standing up straight in the dock. The judge went on: "You pleaded guilty to a series of appalling assaults using weapons on innocent members of the public going about their business. "One of the victims called you cowards, which is a good description of what you did. "This was gratuitous violence, and you will pay a heavy price. "You are both violent thugs, and I will protect the public from you."
The Sun
40 minutes ago
- The Sun
Children convicted of prostitution when they were victims of grooming gangs could have criminal records quashed
CHILDREN convicted of prostitution when they were victims of grooming gangs could have their criminal records quashed. The law has changed to recognise that under-18s in these cases were sexually exploited themselves. 2 Home Secretary Yvette Cooper told the Home Affairs Select Committee yesterday: 'The law has changed but there are still people who have been convicted of crimes where they were being exploited, they were the victim of the most horrendous exploitation and they were children. 'Although the law has changed now around prostitution laws, the idea of treating somebody who was a child as a prostitute when they were being exploited, when they were the victim of the most horrendous exploitation including sexual exploitation and rape I think is wrong. 'The law has changed, we now need to look at the action we need to take to make sure that those historic cases are addressed and people don't carry round those criminal records for the rest of their lives for outdated laws and for things that happened in their childhood when they were being exploited.' The Home Secretary had asked all police forces in England and Wales to review historic cases which had been closed with no further action taken. As a result almost 300 cases have been referred to a national taskforce to be reexamined. The Government has refused to open a full national inquiry into grooming gangs, such as those uncovered in Rochdale and Rotherham. Instead, at least five local inquiries will take place to establish why and how children were able to be sexually exploited. 2
ITV News
43 minutes ago
- ITV News
Madeleine McCann: Latest search sees teams drain well and clear dense vegetation
The Search teams have been seen draining a well and clearing areas of dense vegetation near abandoned buildings as the latest search for Madeleine McCann continues in Portugal. German investigators along with Portuguese police officers and firefighters are working in a little-developed area of countryside a few miles from Praia da Luz where Madeleine was last seen in 2007. Then aged three, she vanished while on holiday with her family in the Algarve resort after her parents went out to dinner and left her sleeping in a room with her toddler twin siblings. Journalists were being kept a distance away from the search sites on Tuesday and a no-fly zone was imposed that stopped the used of drones, although some activity could be seen as teams used strimmers, pick-axes, shovels and chainsaws to clear the undergrowth and debris surrounding an abandoned building. Personnel wore safety gear such as gloves and hard hats as they worked in the dense vegetation, and firefighters and police were seen using a yellow hose to drain a well. Around a dozen officers focused on one abandoned building where digging was taking place, while another member of the search team cleared large rocks. The Sun reported that investigators are also planning to use radar equipment that can scan beneath the ground. TV footage showed two Portuguese police officers guarding the end to a narrow lane that leads through an area of fields and scrubland with a few houses and a vineyard. It has been variously reported that investigators will look where trenches were dug near the resort at the time of Madeleine's disappearance, at wells, ruins and water tanks, and that there are plans to examine 21 pieces of land. The search is being carried out at the request of the German federal police as they look for evidence that could implicate prime suspect Christian Brueckner, who is in prison for raping a 72-year-old woman in Praia da Luz in 2005. He is due to be released from jail in September if no further charges are brought. Ulrich Oppold, a journalist from German broadcaster RTL, visited Brueckner in prison in Germany, who said if he gets out of jail the thing he is most looking forward to is a steak with a beer. Brueckner refused to answer any questions relating to Madeleine after discussions with his lawyers. He told the journalist that if he does get out of jail he will have to lie low as he is so well known. Brueckner described himself as 'bekannt wie ein bunter Hund' – which literally translated is 'as well-known as a colourful dog'. In October last year, Brueckner was cleared by a German court of unrelated sexual offences alleged to have taken place in Portugal between 2000 and 2017. Around 30 German police officers, including forensic experts, are expected to take part in the search along with Portuguese officers, with the activity due to last until Friday. The Metropolitan Police said it is aware of the operation but that British officers will not be present. German investigators and Portuguese officers last carried out searches in the country in 2023 near the Barragem do Arade reservoir, about 30 miles from Praia da Luz. Brueckner, who spent time in the area between 2000 and 2017, had photographs and videos of himself near the reservoir. It was previously searched in 2008, when Portuguese lawyer Marcos Aragao Correia paid for specialist divers to search it after he claimed to have been tipped off by criminal contacts that Madeleine's body was there. British police were later given permission to examine scrubland near where she vanished in 2014. Last month, Madeleine's family, who are from Rothley in Leicestershire, marked the 18th anniversary of her disappearance, describing her as 'beautiful and unique' before her 22nd birthday, and expressing their determination to keep searching. A statement from her parents Kate and Gerry McCann and the family said: 'The years appear to be passing even more quickly and whilst we have no significant news to share, our determination to 'leave no stone unturned' is unwavering. We will do our utmost to achieve this.'
