'Shalom': Video shows hostage Yocheved Lifschitz wishing her captor 'peace' as she is released

An 85-year-old woman wished her Hamas captor peace - 'shalom' - as she was released after two weeks as a hostage.

Yocheved Lifshitz was released on Monday night, along with 79-year-old Nurit Cooper - the third and fourth to be freed.

Both were kidnapped from the kibbutz of Nir Oz, near the Gaza border, during the terrorist raids on Israel on October 7.

Yocheved's daughter Sharone, an artist and academic who lives in London, said in a statement: “While I cannot put into words the relief that she is now safe, I will remain focused on securing the release of my father and all those - some 200 innocent people - who remain hostages in Gaza.”

In a video provided by Hamas, Yocheved Lifshitz can be seen turning to her masked captor and saying the Hebrew word 'shalom'.

On Tuesday, Yocheved gave a press conference, aided by Sharone, at which she said she had "been through hell", left bruised when she was kidnapped on a motorbike. Sharone said hostages were hit with sticks.

Despite this, Yocheved said they were treated "very nicely". They were kept in tunnels under Gaza, sleeping on mattresses on the floor, and treated by a paramedic. Hostages were fed cheese and cucumber - the same food the terrorists ate.

But Sharone said her mother feels "the story's not over until everybody comes back".

Sharone told BBC Radio 4's Today programme her mother was keen to share information about other hostages, but that she had no information about her own husband.

"My mum and dad are in their 80s," she said. "My father was getting more frail. They are very loving people, family people. The week before, they had over 20 people visiting - family, my brothers, their children, my aunt, her children, her grandchildren - so they really loved hosting the family.

"My father was very involved in political things in the kibbutz. He was very involved in rights for Palestinians and working towards peace with our neighbours.

"His whole life was the idea that we have to find a way to live together. He felt that it was very easy to find a way and was very disappointed - fought very hard against this idea of occupation, the idea of perpetual war."