Oded Lifshitz (Hebrew: עודד ליפשיץ; 1940 – late 2023) was an Israeli journalist. He was born in Haifa and later served in the Israeli military's 50th Battalion of the Paratroopers Brigade. He later became a journalist and peace activist. He worked for Al HaMishmar, and later broadcast on Army Radio.

On 7 October 2023 Lifshitz was kidnapped in the Nir Oz massacre, part of the surprise attack on Israel and the Gaza war. His captors, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, said he was killed in the Israeli bombing of Gaza Strip in late 2023. Benjamin Netanyahu said Oded was "murdered" by Islamic Jihad. Lifshitz's body was returned to Israel in February 2025, as part of the 2025 Gaza war ceasefire and prisoner exchange.

Biography

Lifshitz grew up in Haifa and graduated from the city's Hebrew Reali School in 1957. He participated in the Hashomer Hatzair in his youth, and served in the 50th Battalion of the Parachute Nahal. He was one of the founding members of Kibbutz Nir Oz in 1955,[1] serving as both coordinator and treasurer early on in the village's history. He defended Bedouin residents of Rafah when the IDF attempted to evacuate the Sinai Peninsula and was an on-the-grounds journalist who reported on the 1982 refugee camp massacre in Beirut.[2]

From 1983 to 1995, he worked as a journalist at Al HaMishmar.[3] He prepared articles for the radio program "A Light Hour on Economics", which broadcast on Army Radio.[4]

Lifshitz was married to Yocheved, a photographer and former physical education teacher. They had four children, as well as grandchildren and a great-grandchild. One of their grandchildren, Daniel Lifshitz, is a former footballer who had played for the Israeli national under-21 team.[5][6] He and his wife were peace activists who worked for Road to Recovery, an Israeli organization which helps aid Palestinian citizens in need of medical care in getting transportation to Israeli hospitals across the border.[7][8][2]

Abduction and captivity

On 7 October 2023, during the Nir Oz massacre, Lifshitz and his wife were kidnapped from their home to the Gaza Strip, allegedly by members of Hamas, and their home was set on fire.[7] Hamas militants reportedly broke into the couple's safe room, and Oded was shot in the hand and Yocheved removed from a bed.[5]

The couple was separated; Yocheved last saw Lifshitz lying at the edge of their property[9] before she was put on the back of a motorcycle and taken into Gaza without her shoes or glasses, and was protected from angry Gazans by the Hamas militants. She was reportedly kept in a tunnel with other members of the kibbutz, where they were provided with mattresses and some food and reportedly met Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. Sinwar reportedly assured the captives no harm would come to them and an exchange deal would soon be agreed on.[10]

While Yocheved later stated that she "went through hell," she praised the Hamas militants for their concern about sanitation and health as each hostage in her group received their own doctor and had supervised medicine disbursement.[11]

Oded was reportedly held in an apartment in Khan Yunis for about twenty days, before his health deteriorated and his condition and whereabouts became unknown. A released female hostage from Nir Oz kibbutz stated that she saw him alive and well during the time they were held together.[5]

Efforts to release

Their daughter, Sharone, spoke to news outlets stating that her parents were in danger, as they needed medication and that her mother used an oxygen mask when she slept.[7] The National Union of Journalists called for their release.[2] On 23 October, Yocheved was released.[8]

In May 2024, Sharone Lifshitz criticized the apparent lack of action by the Israeli government, and stated her belief that the hostages had become pawns for the government. She believed her father could have been returned from Gaza if the Israeli government had acted earlier and with more focus on the hostages.[12]

His grandson, Daniel, also campaigned for the release of his grandfather[5], and spoke out in January 2025 in support of the 2025 cease fire and hostages-prisoners exchange and the recent return of the body of Oron Shaul but also the frustration at the apparent possibility of the deal happening earlier.[13]

Death

On 19 February 2025, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) said that it would return the body of Oded Lifshitz on 20 February, as part of the ongoing cease fire. The group claimed that he was killed in an Israeli air strike.[14]

On 20 February 2025, four coffins reportedly containing the remains of Lifshitz and three members of the Bibas family were handed over by Hamas.[15] His family later confirmed that his body had been identified.[16] Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office claimed that he was killed in captivity by the PIJ.[17] The chief of the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute said that he was killed in captivity more than a year ago.[18]

After the release of Lifshitz's body, his family released a statement saying that they had "hoped and prayed for a different outcome" during the 503 days that Lifshitz was held in Gaza, but now that his body had been released and his status confirmed, they could mourn him.[19]

See also

References

  1. ^ "המפגש האחרון של מקימי ניר עוז – והפסנתר שהפך לסמל הטבח | חדשות 13". רשת 13 (in Hebrew). Archived from the original on 8 December 2023. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  2. ^ a b c "NUJ calls for release of hostage Oded Lifshitz". National Union of Journalists. Archived from the original on 18 December 2023. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  3. ^ Brian Flood, Ashley Carnahan (16 October 2023). "Grandson of Israeli journalist taken by Hamas terrorists speaks out: 'It's like a roller coaster'". Fox News. Archived from the original on 18 December 2023. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  4. ^ ברנע, נחום (12 October 2023). "חורבן הבית והמדינה שאבדה". Ynet (in Hebrew). Archived from the original on 23 November 2023. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d Haskel, Adam (20 February 2025). "The tragic tale of Oded Lifshitz". Jewish News Syndicate. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
  6. ^ "שלומית טנא: גם הוא נחטף כנראה – העיתונאי המבריק עודד ליפשיץ מניר עוז". zman.co.il (in Hebrew). 14 October 2023. Archived from the original on 18 December 2023. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  7. ^ a b c "Taken captive: Oded Lifshitz, drove Gazans to hospitals". Times of Israel. 23 October 2023. Archived from the original on 18 December 2023. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  8. ^ a b Vasilyeva, Nataliya (24 October 2023). "Israeli hostage Oded Lifshitz 'worked every day to help Gazans'". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 18 December 2023. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  9. ^ "Who is Oded Lifshitz, one of the hostages kidnapped from the Kibbutz Nir Oz, set for release?". The Jerusalem Post. 21 January 2025. Archived from the original on 11 February 2025. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
  10. ^ Samuels, Andrea (20 August 2024). "Hostage's daughter: I will never see my father alive again if PM keeps sabotaging deal". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on 7 February 2025. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
  11. ^ Chen, Heather; Tal, Amir; Jeong, Sophie; Said-Moorhouse, Lauren (24 October 2023). "'I went through hell:' Released Hamas hostage describes being kidnapped and taken into tunnel system". CNN. Archived from the original on 25 October 2023. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
  12. ^ Steinberg, Jessica (7 May 2024). "Daughter of elderly hostage says captives have become pawns during ongoing war". www.timesofisrael.com. Archived from the original on 18 June 2024. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
  13. ^ "Between fear and hope: Hostages' relatives talk about deal's second phase". Ynetnews. 22 January 2025. Archived from the original on 18 February 2025. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
  14. ^ "Islamic Jihad to release body of captive on Thursday". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 19 February 2025.
  15. ^ "Hamas releases the bodies of four Israeli hostages, including mother and young sons". NPR. Archived from the original on 20 February 2025. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
  16. ^ "Family of hostage Oded Lifshitz says his body has been identified". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 19 February 2025.
  17. ^ "Netanyahu's office says Lifshitz killed while in captivity". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 19 February 2025.
  18. ^ "Oded Lifshitz was slain in captivity over a year ago, forensic institute chief says". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 19 February 2025.
  19. ^ Manning, Lucy (20 February 2025). "Israeli family mourns 'man of peace' as body returned from Gaza". BBC News. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
Allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oded_Lifshitz
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