British daughter of Gaza hostage says burying father 'incredibly meaningful'

A British-Israeli woman whose father died in captivity after being taken hostage by Palestinian gunmen on 7 October has said the return of his body last month has been "incredibly meaningful".

"Bringing back my dad and being able to bury him was one of the most profound things," Sharone Lifschitz said, after the family were finally able to hold a funeral for 83-year-old Oded Lifshitz.

Both her father and her mother were taken hostage from their home by Palestinian gunmen, but while her 85-year-old mother, Yocheved, was released in late October 2023, Oded was held for 503 days.

When his body was returned in February the Israeli government said he had been murdered in captivity over a year earlier.

The Israeli Prime Minister's Office said Oded "was murdered in captivity by the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization."

"It's not the outcome we were hoping for," Sharone told the BBC on Sunday.

"But it's a relief to know that he is not suffering. We were so worried about his well being and his suffering, and he suffered before he died, and he died in the most horrific circumstances possible."

Sharone spoke to BBC News at a memorial event at the JW3 Community Centre in London.

Hundreds of people came to pay their respects, including MPs, Foreign Office minister Hamish Falconer, the Chief Rabbi and other British-Israeli families whose relatives were murdered on 7 October or taken hostage.

Sharone said that "being able to say goodbye" showed how important it was that all families were reunited with their relatives, both those still alive and the bodies Hamas is still holding.

The first phase of a temporary truce between Israel and Hamas ended on 1 March and saw Hamas release 25 living Israeli hostages and eight dead hostages that it had captured during its attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023.

In return, Israel released about 1,900 prisoners and detainees from Gaza.

Talks to extend the ceasefire and release more hostages have so far failed to reach an agreement.

"Receiving my father's remains back, and being able to say goodbye to him has really has been incredibly meaningful to me, more than I could ever imagine, to bring him back to us, away from such horrific events that he was part of in his last days," Sharone said.

"It's very hard to reconcile the fact we weren't there for him. But at least we know now that he is back with us. I hope he knows how much we love him.

"Experiencing what it is to close it, to know that my father is dead and buried, really brings to the fore how important it is to return everybody, the living and the dead hostages, so that all the families can bury their loved ones."

She said he had been held alive and injured in Gaza for a few weeks after he was captured but that "he didn't give up on his humanity."

Hamish Falconer, Lincoln MP and a minister for the Middle East, said: "It was important for me to be here and pay my respects for the tragic loss of Oded.

"Sharone is a pillar of strength and dignity and I could not admire her more. We must bring home all of those still held hostage, as she said, and as Oded would wish."

Oded was a journalist and veteran campaigner for peace who drove sick Palestinians to hospitals in Israel for treatment. In his campaign for Palestinian rights he met Yasser Arafat, then head of the Palestine Liberation Organisation.

Ever since 7 October Sharone, a filmmaker and academic, has campaigned vigorously for her parents release.

The BBC were with Sharone at her home in East London when the ceasefire deal was announced in January.

She shed tears of joy, hoping that she would finally discover the fate of her father, as after more than a year of him being held hostage she didn't know whether he was alive or dead.

Yocheved Lifshitz previously said that her husband was a great campaigner for peace. "He had very good relations with Palestinians and the thing that hurt the most is that they betrayed him," she said.

Speaking to the BBC after her mother was released from captivity, Sharone said that Oded had "spent his life in the peace movement and he fought for the possibility of both nations [Israelis and Palestinians] living side by side".

At the memorial event on Sunday, Sharone said: "I can't give up on peace in my own life. Therefore I cannot give up on peace on any other scale. Peace is where we want to be. Is the road long? Is the road hazardous? Yes. What's the alternative? More hate? Did hate ever solve hate? Does more hate help? I don't see it."