British daughter of Gaza hostage says burying father 'incredibly meaningful'
A British-Israeli woman whose father died in captivity after being taken hostage by Palestinian gunmen on 7 October has said the return of his body last month has been "incredibly meaningful".
"Bringing back my dad and being able to bury him was one of the most profound things," Sharone Lifschitz said, after the family were finally able to hold a funeral for 83-year-old Oded Lifshitz.
Both her father and her mother were taken hostage from their home by Palestinian gunmen, but while her 85-year-old mother, Yocheved, was released in late October 2023, Oded was held for 503 days.
When his body was returned in February the Israeli government said he had been murdered in captivity over a year earlier.
Who are Israeli hostages released and rescued from Gaza?
Return of bodies marks day of anguish for Israel
The Israeli Prime Minister's Office said Oded "was murdered in captivity by the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization."
"It's not the outcome we were hoping for," Sharone told the BBC on Sunday.
"But it's a relief to know that he is not suffering. We were so worried about his well being and his suffering, and he suffered before he died, and he died in the most horrific circumstances possible."
Sharone spoke to BBC News at a memorial event at the JW3 Community Centre in London.
Hundreds of people came to pay their respects, including MPs, Foreign Office minister Hamish Falconer, the Chief Rabbi and other British-Israeli families whose relatives were murdered on 7 October or taken hostage.
Sharone said that "being able to say goodbye" showed how important it was that all families were reunited with their relatives, both those still alive and the bodies Hamas is still holding.
The first phase of a temporary truce between Israel and Hamas ended on 1 March and saw Hamas release 25 living Israeli hostages and eight dead hostages that it had captured during its attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023.
In return, Israel released about 1,900 prisoners and detainees from Gaza.
Talks to extend the ceasefire and release more hostages have so far failed to reach an agreement.
"Receiving my father's remains back, and being able to say goodbye to him has really has been incredibly meaningful to me, more than I could ever imagine, to bring him back to us, away from such horrific events that he was part of in his last days," Sharone said.
"It's very hard to reconcile the fact we weren't there for him. But at least we know now that he is back with us. I hope he knows how much we love him.
"Experiencing what it is to close it, to know that my father is dead and buried, really brings to the fore how important it is to return everybody, the living and the dead hostages, so that all the families can bury their loved ones."
She said he had been held alive and injured in Gaza for a few weeks after he was captured but that "he didn't give up on his humanity."
Hamish Falconer, Lincoln MP and a minister for the Middle East, said: "It was important for me to be here and pay my respects for the tragic loss of Oded.
"Sharone is a pillar of strength and dignity and I could not admire her more. We must bring home all of those still held hostage, as she said, and as Oded would wish."
Oded was a journalist and veteran campaigner for peace who drove sick Palestinians to hospitals in Israel for treatment. In his campaign for Palestinian rights he met Yasser Arafat, then head of the Palestine Liberation Organisation.
Ever since 7 October Sharone, a filmmaker and academic, has campaigned vigorously for her parents release.
The BBC were with Sharone at her home in East London when the ceasefire deal was announced in January.
She shed tears of joy, hoping that she would finally discover the fate of her father, as after more than a year of him being held hostage she didn't know whether he was alive or dead.
Yocheved Lifshitz previously said that her husband was a great campaigner for peace. "He had very good relations with Palestinians and the thing that hurt the most is that they betrayed him," she said.
Speaking to the BBC after her mother was released from captivity, Sharone said that Oded had "spent his life in the peace movement and he fought for the possibility of both nations [Israelis and Palestinians] living side by side".
At the memorial event on Sunday, Sharone said: "I can't give up on peace in my own life. Therefore I cannot give up on peace on any other scale. Peace is where we want to be. Is the road long? Is the road hazardous? Yes. What's the alternative? More hate? Did hate ever solve hate? Does more hate help? I don't see it."
US rejects 'impractical' Hamas demands as Gaza truce hangs in balance
'We are tired of war': Israelis and Gazans fear ceasefire collapse
What we know about the Gaza ceasefire deal
UN experts accuse Israel of sexual violence and 'genocidal acts' in Gaza
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
39 minutes ago
- Yahoo
British detective discusses new search for Madeleine McCann
A new search is underway for Madeleine McCann, a British toddler who became one of the most famous unsolved missing person cases in the world when she disappeared from a Portugal resort in 2007. Former British detective Graham Hill, who investigated her disappearance, joins "Elizabeth Vargas Reports" to discuss. #Missing #Portugal #MadeleineMcCann
Boston Globe
40 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
Candidate for University of Florida president is rejected over his diversity stance
At Michigan, Ono had presided over a campus that was rife with acrimonious debates over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the role of diversity in higher education. Those issues have been hotly debated in Florida, where Republican leaders have successfully enacted conservative priorities across K-12 schools and in college. Ono had tried to distance himself from the politics of Michigan as he sought to transition to the Sunshine State. Last month, he wrote an opinion essay disavowing diversity programs, for instance. Advertisement Paul Renner, a member of the Board of Governors who voted against Ono's confirmation, said in an interview Tuesday that Ono had led a university that embraced diversity, equity and inclusion programming. Renner said he did not find Ono's attempt to distance himself from those efforts sincere. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'The public record completely contradicted what the nominee was telling us,' said Renner, a former speaker of the Florida House. Republicans celebrated the unexpected move. Ono had already given notice that he would be leaving his job in Michigan. A Michigan spokesperson did not immediately return a message. But a member of the school's Board of Regents, Jordan Acker, suggested that Ono could not get his old job back. 'Santa Ono tendered his resignation and we accepted it,' Acker said in a brief interview. Advertisement Rebekah Modrak, a recent chair of Michigan's Faculty Senate, called the assertion that Ono was soft on pro-Palestinian activism 'absolutely untrue.' She criticized his decision to close the university's DEI office, which had been known as a national leader in such programming. 'He's a man who witnessed racial bias but closed the office of diversity, equity and inclusion,' Modrak said in an email, adding, 'There's a strong sense of justice in the fact that Santa Ono is now out of a job.' In Florida, the opposition to Ono was flipped. In recent weeks he had been criticized by some conservatives in the state over his past stances on diversity programming. 'There's too much smoke with Santa Ono,' Rep. Jimmy Patronis, R-Fla., wrote on social media Monday. 'We need a leader, not a DEI acolyte. Leave the Ann Arbor thinking in Ann Arbor.' Ono had supporters in Florida. The chair of the university's board of trustees, Mori Hosseini, who has aimed to move the university in Gainesville, Florida, up in rankings, had supported Ono. 'He is the right person to accelerate UF's upward trajectory,' Hosseini said in a message to the Florida community last week. He could not be immediately reached for comment. Ono would have replaced Ben Sasse, a former Nebraska senator who abruptly resigned last summer. Ono was born to Japanese immigrant parents in Vancouver, British Columbia, and grew up in Pennsylvania and Maryland. Before leading the University of Michigan, he served as president of the University of British Columbia and the University of Cincinnati. Ono could not be immediately reached for comment. The University of Florida declined to comment. Advertisement This article originally appeared in
New York Post
41 minutes ago
- New York Post
Michael Rapaport warns Jewish people the ‘cavalry ain't coming' to save them following antisemitic attacks
Comedian and actor Michael Rapaport is alarmed that more non-Jewish people aren't speaking out in defense of Jewish people following multiple violent attacks against them. In the latest episode of his podcast posted Tuesday, Rapaport warned fellow Jewish people to keep on guard over the rising antisemitic violence in the country as other people don't seem to be rushing to their defense. Advertisement 'I'm telling you something, Jewish people, the cavalry ain't coming. The cavalry is not coming for us. They don't give a f—,' he said. The comedian has become a prominent advocate for Israel and the Jewish people following the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attack in Israel in 2023, and the raucous anti-Israel protests that consumed many US college campuses in its wake. Rapaport's latest words come after suspect Mohamed Sabry Soliman allegedly set pro-Jewish protesters on fire in Boulder, Colorado using a makeshift flamethrower and Molotov cocktails. Actor Michael Rapaport is seen among the pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli demonstrators during a rally calling for a cease-fire in Gaza at Columbia University on Tuesday, April 30, 2024 in New York, NY. James Keivom Advertisement Soliman, an Egyptian national who overstayed his travel visa, was arrested on Sunday following the attack on demonstrators protesting Hamas continuing to hold hostages in Gaza. Twelve protesters were injured. Before his arrest, the suspect was caught on video yelling 'free Palestine' and other anti-Israel slogans during the attack. Soliman later told police he wanted to kill 'all Zionist people.' The attack comes less than two weeks after two Israeli diplomats were gunned down outside a Jewish event in Washington, DC. Rapaport expressed frustration at having spoken up for multiple marginalized communities and feeling as though other groups have failed to speak up for Jewish communities now under threat. Advertisement Mothers Against College Antisemitism rally at Washington Square Park. John Roca 'I have spoken out on behalf of Black Lives Matter, George Floyd. I have spoken out on behalf on women's rights. I called [Supreme Court Justice] Clarence Thomas 'Uncle Clarence.' I've spoken on abortion rights. Every single thing under the sun on social media in the last, I don't know, ten years – let's say ten years – I have spoken out,' he said. 'I put a f—— black square up there like a f—— a—— during Black Lives Matter,' he continued, mentioning the viral social media post made in solidarity with that movement in 2020. Advertisement 'Don't you feel like an a—— now for putting up a black square during Black Lives Matter when nobody is coming and saying anything on our behalf?' he asked. 'Nobody is coming and saying anything on our behalf, Jewish people, Zionist people. They're not calling, they're not texting, they're not tweeting. They're not leaving comments. They're not DMing [Direct Messaging]. They're not doing s—.' The comedian added, 'It's sad, it's frustrating. You feel used. You feel manipulated. You feel like a sucker. I feel like it too!'
