Palestinian Islamic Jihad releases remains of hostage Oded Lifshitz

On February 20, 2025, the bodies of four slain Israeli hostages — one of which was named by Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the group that abducted him on October 7, 2023, as Oded Lifshitz — were handed over by the terrorist group to the Red Cross, who delivered them to IDF troops in the Gaza Strip. Lifshitz’s remains were later identified at the Health Ministry’s Abu Kabir National Center of Forensic Medicine, after which an official notification was given to his family. 

Below are initial reports of his capture on October 7, 2023:

Oded Lifshitz, 83 (now 84), was taken from Kibbutz Nir Oz on the morning of Saturday, October 7, 2023, when Hamas terrorists invaded the Gaza border communities, killing some 1,200, committing atrocities and taking 251 Israelis captive.

Lifshitz was initially taken with his wife, Yocheved, 85. At the time, the family learned that Oded Lifshitz’s cell phone was somewhere in Gaza.

On October 23, Yocheved Lifshitz was freed with another captive, Nurit Cooper.

Their daughter, Sharone Lifshitz, had said her mother uses oxygen when she sleeps and suffers from significant back pain.

“They’re no longer the kind of people who can survive without medications,” said Sharone. “Mom was ripped out of her machine; she was sleeping.”

The couple, who were among the founders of Kibbutz Nir Oz, were peace activists and regularly transported patients from Gaza to receive medical treatment in hospitals across Israel.

Oded Lifschitz, a great-grandfather, is a lifelong journalist who wrote for many years for Al-Hamishmar. He’s also a passionate advocate for human rights.

“Their whole house is gone,” said Sharone Lifshitz, one of their daughters, speaking to CNN. “It’s all burned, and that’s the least of it.”