(TJV) Yocheved Lifshitz, an Israeli grandmother who was released Monday by Hamas terrorists, along with Nurit Cooper, has a background of being a left wing peace activist and her husband a journalist for a defunct left wing scialist newspaper.

Released on health grounds, her story unfolds as that of a dedicated peace activist, standing alongside her husband, Oded, in aiding sick Palestinians from the Gaza Strip in their quest for essential medical treatment in Israeli hospitals for more than a decade.

Oded Lifshitz, Yocheved’s husband, is a veteran left-wing journalist who wrote for socialist newspaper Al HaMishmar.

The paper was owned by, and affiliated with Hashomer Hatzair as well as the Hashomer Hatzair Workers Party of Palestine, which became Mapam after 1948, which itself became a component of Meretz after 1992.

The traumatic events began on October 7, when Palestinian militants unleashed a devastating gun rampage in Israel, resulting in the tragic loss of 1,400 lives and the capture of over 200 innocent individuals.

Among the captives were Yocheved Lifshitz, aged 85, and another woman, Nurit Cooper, aged 79.

This heart-wrenching incident unfolded close to the Gaza border in southern Israel, at the Nir Oz kibbutz. Although Yocheved Lifshitz has been released, her husband Oded, who is 83 years old, remains in captivity.

Daniel Lifshitz, their grandson, provided  insight into their lives. He emphasized their unwavering commitment to “human rights and the pursuit of peace”.

For more than ten years, the devout leftists dedicated themselves to facilitating the transport of sick Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to hospitals in Israel.

A  video posted on Hamas’ Telegram page captured the moment when Yocheved Lifshitz was handed over to workers from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The ICRC played a crucial role in facilitating their safe return from Gaza. In the video, a heavily-armed man, wearing a bulletproof vest emblazoned with a Hamas flag, escorted Lifshitz to a white ICRC van. In a gesture of peace, before entering the vehicle, she extended her hand to the man and uttered the word “salam,” the Arabic expression for peace.