October 7 · Personal story
Yocheved Lifshitz
Abducted
October 7, 2023
Abduction location
Kibbutz Nir Oz
Current outcome
Released alive · October 23, 2023
Yocheved Lifshitz was released alive on October 23, 2023; her husband Oded remained captive.
01
Life before
Yocheved Lifshitz helped establish Kibbutz Nir Oz and built her home there with Oded. She was a photographer and taught photography at the regional high school. The couple had four children, grandchildren and a great-granddaughter. Yocheved spent her life working for human rights and peace. She and Oded regularly drove Palestinian patients from Gaza to treatment in Israeli hospitals, offering practical help across the border.
02
Abduction
On October 7, 2023, Yocheved and Oded were abducted from their home in Nir Oz. Yocheved later described being put on a motorcycle, having her watch and jewelry taken, and being beaten with sticks. The blows bruised her ribs and made it hard to breathe.
03
Captivity
In testimony on October 24, 2023, Yocheved described being taken through tunnels and held with other captives. She said she walked several kilometers through a network she compared to a spider web, first reaching a room with 25 people and then a smaller group of five. Guards kept the room clean, provided medical care and gave them one meal a day: cheese, cucumber and pita. She said she and other captives told their guards they did not want to discuss politics.
04
Return
Yocheved was released alive on October 23, 2023, after 17 days in captivity. She was taken for medical care. Oded remained in Gaza.
05
After the return
On October 24, 2023, the day after her release, Yocheved spoke to reporters from a wheelchair at Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv, describing her abduction and captivity. In the months that followed, she joined the campaign at Hostages Square for those still held, including Oded. His remains returned from Gaza on February 20, 2025. Her own early release and his later return for burial were separate events in their family’s story.