Yocheved Lifshitz at husband’s Oded funeral: ‘We fought for peace, were attacked by those we helped’

Former hostage Yocheved Lifshitz, the widow of murdered hostage Oded Lifshitz, says how strange it feels to be the one speaking when he was the one who always took the stage and she was the photographer.

“Our abduction and your death have shaken me to the core,” says Lifshitz at her husband’s funeral in Kibbutz Nir Oz. “We fought all through the years for social justice, for peace. To my sorrow, we were hit by a terrible attack by those we helped on the other side. I stand here staggered to see the number of graves, and the terrible destruction of our community that was completely abandoned on October 7.”

She continues: “Our hostages remain chained, starved, and tortured underground in Gaza for over 500 days. It is possible to bring everyone back now, in a single exchange. I will continue on our path and continue the struggle to free all the hostages, down to the very last one.”

Concludes Yocheved: “In the apartment where I live right now, a new piano has been sitting, waiting [after Oded’s piano was destroyed when the terrorists attacked their home] for a year. I so waited to hear you play once again, in your special way with your great talent. Reality slaps me in the face and the pain is immense. Goodbye, my dear Oded. We will meet when the time comes.”