Former hostage Yocheved Lifshitz has revealed previously unknown details behind her warm interaction with a Hamas militant during her Red Cross handover in Gaza after 16 days in captivity.
In a video of the handover, the then 85-year-old was seen turning back to the masked Hamas militant who had escorted her to the checkpoint, shaking hands with him, and saying “Shalom”.
The encounter, which caused headlines around the world, confounded many. However, last night, in conversation with Senior Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg and her daughter Sharone at New North London Synagogue, Yocheved shone a new light on the situation.
Translating on behalf of her mother, Sharone explained: “The person she shook hands with was a paramedic, and on the way to the point where she was passed to the Red Cross they had a conversation in which he said that it’s time to throw away the politicians and to reach an agreement.”
