Released hostage: Hamas tunnel network ‘looks like a spiderweb’

An elderly Israeli woman who was released by Hamas after being held hostage for weeks, said Tuesday that the tunnel system used by the militant group under Gaza is like a “spiderweb.”

Yocheved Lifshitz, 85, was freed from captivity Monday after being taken hostage from her home near the Gaza border at the outset of the war — which began with a surprise attack on Israel by Hamas that killed more than 1,400 Israelis.

Hamas released Lifshitz and a fellow Israeli Nurit Cooper, 79, just days after the militant group released a pair of Americans. More than 200 people are believed to be held captive by Hamas.

Lifshitz said she “went through hell” during her captivity. She was beaten and sustained bruises during the Oct. 7 surprise attack and during her capture, but she said the militants otherwise treated the hostages reasonably.

She told CNN that she slept on mattresses in the tunnels with four other hostages from her town and received regular medical care.

“They really took care of the sanitary side of things so that we didn’t get sick,” Lifshitz added. “They were very generous to us, very kind. They kept us clean. They took care of every detail.”

“There are a lot of women, and they know about feminine hygiene and they took care of everything there,” she added.

Lifshitz also criticized the Israeli government, saying the internal security service Shin Bet did not take Hamas threats “seriously.” 

“The lack of awareness by Shin Bet and the IDF hurt us a lot,” she continued. “They warned us three weeks beforehand, they burned fields, they sent fire balloons and the IDF did not treat it seriously.”

Israel has stepped up its aerial strikes on Gaza amid its pressure campaign to encourage the release of hostages. Its military is preparing for an expected ground invasion of Gaza, but U.S. officials have warned that could make releasing further hostages more difficult, The Associated Press reported.

The Israeli military completely locked down Gaza from its borders, preventing humanitarian aid from entering the territory before Saturday. Humanitarian leaders now say the small amount of aid permitted to enter Gaza was not enough and will likely have to stop soon as fuel supplies dwindle.

The U.S. is assisting Israel and working on hostage negotiations “hour by hour,” White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said Monday. He again pushed for Hamas to release all the hostages.

“They can release them all now. Just let them go now, because these people didn’t do anything wrong,” Kirby said. “They’re just innocent civilians being caught up in this conflict. Let them go now.”

“Now, I recognize that it’s not going to happen, which is why we’re going to keep working with our partners in the region to do what we can to get them released,” he added.