Hostages' remarks that 'Hamas treated us well' draw backlash

The words of Lifshitz, one of the two female hostages released last night by the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, via the Rafah Border Crossing on the Egyptian border, have been intensely debated on social media.

The live broadcast of Lifshitz's statement, "(The Qassam Brigades) said they are people who believe in the Quran and that they would not harm us. They provided us with the same conditions they had in the tunnels," triggered reactions on the Israeli side.

''IT WAS A MISTAKE TO ALLOW THE STATEMENT''

Israel's state television KAN, citing a statement from an outlet broadcasting for Israel, included the remarks, "It was a mistake to allow Lifshitz to make a statement on live television."

Roy Cohen, the media officer for the country's basketball team, also commented on his social media account, "Allowing this press statement to be made should be criticized."

Israeli authorities have not yet made a statement regarding Yochaved Lifshitz's remarks.

''THEY TOOK CARE OF EVERY DETAIL REGARDING US''

Lifshitz pointed out that the Qassam Brigades were closely concerned with their health conditions and used the following expressions:

"First, we arrived at a large hall where 25 people were gathered, and a few hours later, they separated the people and put them in a separate room. We had a doctor assigned to us, and he would come every few days to see what was happening. The doctor would definitely bring medicine. In total, there were 5 of us, and there was a guard for each of us. Their behavior was good; they took care of every detail regarding us."

The Qassam Brigades announced yesterday that they had released Israeli hostages Yochaved Lifshitz and Nurit Yitzhak "for humanitarian and health reasons" and "unilaterally," through the mediation of Egypt and Qatar.

Lifshitz and Yitzhak were handed over to Red Cross officials at the Rafah Border Crossing on the Egyptian border last night.

News Source: AA