Earlier this morning, the Palestinian Health Ministry reported that within the span of 24 hours, Israeli airstrikes had killed 700 Palestinians. The Health Ministry also announced the collapse of the health system in Gaza amid ongoing fuel shortages, Israel’s cutting of electricity in the entire Strip, and the bombardment of hospitals including the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital and the Al-Wafa Hospital.
Read more: Health system in Gaza collapsing as fuel and medicine runs out
Simultaneously, Palestinian resistance fighters have launched rocket attacks on various Israeli settlements as well as Tel Aviv. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq targeted the Ain al-Assad airbase, which houses US forces and was the second largest US military airbase during the Iraq War.
Thus far, Israel, in its war on Gaza, has killed 5,795 Palestinians, including 2,360 children, 1,292 women, and 295 elderly people. Over 18,000 have been injured and 1,500 are missing. The Gaza Media Office has claimed that Israel is using “non-conventional” weapons such as white phosphorus. “We have observed tangible changes in the bodies of the martyrs due to the occupation’s use of internationally prohibited weapons,” the office said. Thus far, 1.4 million Gazans have been displaced due to the war.
On October 23, Hamas released two elderly Israeli hostages due to their age. According to Hamas, Israel had earlier refused to accept the two elderly women.
One of the released hostages, Yocheved Lifshitz, spoke to media and recounted the trauma of the kidnapping but told reporters that her treatment by Hamas was largely positive. “They kept us clean,” she said. “They took care of every detail. There are a lot of women and they know about feminine hygiene and they took care of everything there.”
“They cleaned our toilets, they cleaned! They cleaned with Lysol, so we won’t get diseases, they were worried of a plague,” she added. When asked if Hamas spoke with the hostages, she answered, “We told them—no politics. But they talked about all sorts of stuff. They were very friendly to us.”
In a Hamas video detailing the release of the two elderly women, Lifshitz is seen initiating a handshake with a Hamas militant as she departs and telling him, “Shalom.”
Nonetheless, mainstream media coverage has elected to focus exclusively on her negative comments about her experience.
Lifshitz also placed blame on Israeli forces for not doing enough to protect her and not taking threats from Hamas seriously. “The lack of awareness by Shin Bet and the IDF hurt us a lot,” she said. “They warned us three weeks beforehand, they burned fields, they sent fire balloons and the IDF did not treat it seriously.”
“We were the government’s scapegoats,” she said.
Israeli propaganda officials are reportedly furious at Lifshitz’s comments about her treatment by Hamas.
The Israeli Occupation Forces have told the Times of Israel that they are worried that further Hamas hostage releases could delay a ground invasion into Gaza.
The IDF tells the Times of Israel it is concerned that Hamas might release more hostages, which might delay the ground invasion https://t.co/LdZpc1nLDZ pic.twitter.com/lJIHnw6ygg
— Ryan Grim (@ryangrim) October 24, 2023
