Israel Hamas war - Day 18: What we know so far

AN Israeli hostage’s gesture of peace to her Hamas captor was watched around the world - now she has revealed why she did it. Brave Yocheved Lifshitz, 85, survived 16 days of “hell“ at the hands of the terrorists, but still showed a moment of kindness to them as she was finally freed. Harrowing footage showed the moment Lifshitz was released from the grip of balaclava-clad Hamas gunmen late on Monday with fellow hostage Nurit Cooper, 79. In the clip, a Red Cross worker can be heard saying: “It’s okay, let’s go... it’s okay, let’s go“. However, just before she takes the first step to safety - Lifshitz pauses and turns to shake hands with the masked Hamas terrorist. She offers him the simple blessing “shalom“ - a Hebrew word for peace, used by Jewish people to say both hello and goodbye. This morning, a frail looking Lifshitz spoke out about the “nightmare“ she endured deep underground Gaza in the “spider web“ of Hamas’s terror tunnels. However, she also shared the reasoning behind why she shook the hand of her captor. Sitting in a wheelchair, she told reporters that “they treated us well“. Despite being kidnapped, beaten and dragged on the back of a motorbike, the grandmother shared that her captors were “prepared“ and had a doctor visit them regularly. Continue reading: Read more: The Sun newspaper brings you the latest breaking news videos and explainers from the UK and around the world Become a Sun Subscriber and hit the bell to be the first to know Read The Sun: Like The Sun on Facebook: Follow The Sun on Twitter: Subscribe to The Sun on Snapchat: #israel #palestine #gaza #hamas #war