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Hamas were “really prepared” for kidnapping Israeli citizens and holding them captive, a hostage freed by the militants had told the press in Tel Aviv.

Yocheved Lifshitz, 85, said “each person [hostage] had a guard watching him or her” after they were taken down into a network of tunnels under Gaza that looked like a “spiderweb”.

She said Hamas’s surprise incursion on 7 October, where she was kidnapped along with more than 200 others, happened after Israel’s Defence Forces (IDF) failed to take warnings from the militant group seriously.

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Seated in a wheelchair, a frail-looking Mrs Lifshitz said Hamas treated her and the other hostages “gently” and had secret provisions for looking after them.

She said a doctor visited her and made sure she and other hostages received the same sort of medicines they had
been taking in Israel.

Mrs Lifshitz added: “They seemed really prepared for it. They had concealed it for a long time, and they took care of all the needs that people need, [such as] shampoo and conditioner.”

“They gave us pitta bread, hard cheese, some low-fat cream cheese and cucumber and that was our food for the entire day,” she added.

‘It was painful’

Mrs Liftshitz, who was taken from her home in Nir Oz, near the Gaza border, told how she was taken away by motorbike with her head on one side of the vehicle and her legs on the other.

She added that she was “taken through ploughed fields” and hit by Hamas fighters with sticks during the kidnapping.

“They didn’t break my ribs but it was painful and I had difficulty breathing,” Mrs Lifshitz said.

She added that she had to walk a “few kilometres” with one militant in front of her and another behind until she reached the tunnels.

85-year-old Yocheved Lifshitz at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center – Ichilov, after she was released by Hamas militants
Pic:AP
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Yocheved Lifshitz at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Centre after she was released by Hamas. Pic: AP

Sharone Lifshitz, who lives in London, flew out to Tel Aviv and was by her mother’s side, translating parts of her description from Hebrew into English as she spoke to the press this morning.

Sharone spoke about the humane treatment her mother says she received during her captivity after the violent kidnapping.

The freed hostage’s daughter told journalists: “My mum is saying they [Hamas] were very friendly towards them. They took care of them.

“They were given medicine. They were treated. One of the men with them was badly injured from a motorbike accident on the way.

“One of the paramedics gave him medicine and antibiotics.

“The people were friendly and they kept the place very clean.

“My mum is saying they were very delicate and caring with them, and took care of all their needs.”

She had earlier confirmed her mother was released on Monday evening.

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Hamas release video of hostages before being freed

Mrs Lifshitz later added the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) did not take the warnings of a possible Hamas incursion seriously before it happened.

She said Hamas had burnt fields and launched heavy shelling before its militants crossed the Israel-Gaza border.

Mrs Lifshitz also said the costly security fence meant to keep militants out “didn’t help at all”.

Hamas said it released Mrs Lifshitz and Nurit Cooper, 79, on humanitarian and “poor health grounds” but their husbands are still being held prisoner.

The two women and their husbands – aged 83 and 84 – were snatched from their homes as Hamas began its massacre on 7 October.

Earlier this week, the group released images of masked gunmen giving the women food and drink and leading them to the handover point, where Red Cross workers met them.

85-year-old Yocheved Lifshitz at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center – Ichilov, after she was released by Hamas militants .
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Yocheved Lifshitz at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Centre

Only four of those kidnapped during the Hamas attack have so far been freed – the other two being a US mother and daughter last week.

With many hostages still held prisoner, the US is understood to have asked Israel to delay its ground invasion so more can be freed.

The British Foreign Office welcomed the release of the women and vowed to “continue to work tirelessly” on securing the release of more.

A spokeswoman said: “Our thoughts remain with the families of loved ones still being held captive, as they endure unimaginable anguish and worry at this time.

“We will continue to work tirelessly with Qatar, Israel and others to ensure all hostages come home safely.”

Yocheved Lifshitz, left, and Nurit Cooper. Pic: AP
Image:
Yocheved Lifshitz, left, and Nurit Cooper. Pic: AP

A senior Hamas leader earlier told Sky News all civilians among the hostages would be released if Israel reduced the intensity of bombing Gaza.

“We want to stop the random bombardments, the total destruction, the genocide so that the al Qassam soldiers can take them from their places and hand them to the Red Cross or whoever,” said Khaled Meshaal.

“We need the right conditions to allow them to be released,” he claimed.

More than 5,000 Palestinians have now been killed and 15,000 wounded in Israeli airstrikes, Gaza’s health ministry says.

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Hostages can be freed ‘under right conditions’

Israel is preparing for an expected ground invasion, with tanks and thousands of troops waiting for days for the order to attack – a move that’s likely to significantly increase casualties on both sides.

Defence minister Yoav Gallant told troops on Monday “it will come” and to keep preparing.

He said the attack would be from land, air and sea but gave no timeframe.

Around 1,400 people have been killed in Israel since the 7 October Hamas incursion, according to Israeli sources.

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Trump ‘very disappointed’ in Russian strikes on Ukraine and calls for Putin to ‘sit down and sign a deal’

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Trump 'very disappointed' in Russian strikes on Ukraine and calls for Putin to 'sit down and sign a deal'

Donald Trump has said he’s “very disappointed” with Russia as he continues to push for a peace deal to end the war in Ukraine.

On Saturday, the US president met with Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Vatican for their first face-to-face meeting since their explosive White House summit.

The Ukrainian president said the meeting ahead of Pope Francis’s funeral could end up being “historic.” Hours later, Mr Trump questioned Vladimir Putin’s appetite for peace in a Truth Social post.

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From Saturday: Trump meets Zelenskyy at funeral

Speaking before boarding Air Force One on Sunday, Mr Trump again said the meeting went well, and that the Ukrainian leader was “calmer”.

“I think he understands the picture, I think he wants to make a deal,” he said, before turning to Mr Putin and Russia.

“I want him to stop shooting, sit down and sign a deal,” the US president said, adding he was “very disappointed that they did the bombing of those places (including Kyiv, where nine people were killed in a Russian airstrike on Friday) after discussions”.

However, Mr Trump said he thinks Mr Zelenskyy is ready to give up Crimea, which the Ukrainian leader has repeatedly said he would refuse to do.

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He added that “we’ll see what happens in the next few days” and said “don’t talk to me about Crimea, talk to Obama and Biden about Crimea”.

Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, while Barack Obama was president.

Meanwhile, US secretary of state Marco Rubio told Sky’s US partner network NBC News that a peace deal to end the war was “closer in general than they’ve been any time in the last three years, but it’s still not there”.

“If this was an easy war to end, it would have been ended by someone else a long time ago,” he added on the Meet the Press show.

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It comes after North Korea confirmed it had deployed troops to fight for Russia, months after Ukraine and Western officials said its forces were in Europe.

State media outlet KCNA reported North Korean soldiers made an “important contribution” to expelling Ukrainian forces from Russian territory, likely to be the Kursk region.

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KCNA said leader Kim Jong Un made the decision to deploy troops to Russia and notified Moscow, and quoted him as saying: “They who fought for justice are all heroes and representatives of the honour of the motherland.”

It also quoted the country’s ruling Workers’ Party as saying the end of the battle to liberate Kursk showed the “highest strategic level of the firm militant friendship” between North Korea and Russia.

Last June, Mr Kim and Mr Putin signed a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty after a state visit – his first to the country in 24 years.

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From June 2024: Putin drives Kim around in luxury limo during state visit

The North Korean leader promised at the time “full support and solidarity to the Russian government, army and people in carrying out the special military operation in Ukraine”.

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40 killed in blast at Iran’s biggest port as Tehran denies explosion ‘linked to fuel for missiles’

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40 killed in blast at Iran's biggest port as Tehran denies explosion 'linked to fuel for missiles'

At least 40 people have been killed and several hundred more injured after an explosion and fire at Iran’s largest port, according to state media.

The blast, at the Shahid Rajaei container hub near the southern city of Bandar Abbas, happened on Saturday as Iran held a third round of talks with the US in Oman about Tehran’s nuclear programme.

Shipping containers burned, goods inside were badly damaged and the explosion was so powerful that windows several miles away were shattered, reports said.

Iranian Red Crescent rescuers work at the site of the blast. Pic: Reuters
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Iranian Red Crescent rescuers work at the site of the blast. Pic: Reuters

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The blast at the Shahid Rajaei port happened as Iran and the US met for the third round of negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program.

Helicopters and aircraft dumped water from the air on the blaze and by Sunday afternoon it was 90% extinguished, the head of Iran’s Red Crescent Society told state media.

Officials said port activities had resumed in unaffected parts of Shahid Rajaei.

Out of the 752 people who had received treatment for their injuries, 190 were still being treated in medical centres on Sunday, according to Iran’s crisis management organisation.

Chemicals at the port were suspected to have worsened the blast, but the exact cause of the explosion was not clear.

More on Iran

Iran’s defence ministry denied international media reports that the explosion may be connected to the mishandling of solid fuel used for missiles.

The reports were “aligned with enemy psyops [psychological operations]”, according to a ministry spokesperson, who told state TV the blast-hit area did not contain any military cargo.

Firefighters work to extinguish the fire. Pic: AP
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Firefighters work to extinguish the blaze. Pic: AP

Pic: AP
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Pic: AP

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According to the Associated Press, British security company Ambrey said that the port in March received sodium perchlorate, which is used to propel ballistic missiles and the mishandling of which could have led to the explosion.

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The Financial Times previously reported two Iranian vessels had shipped from China enough of the ingredient to propel up to 260 mid-range missiles.

It was reportedly to help Tehran replenish stocks after its missile attacks on Israel in 2024.

Iran’s military has sought to deny the delivery of sodium perchlorate from China.

Iran’s state-run Irna news agency reported on Sunday that Russian President Vladimir Putin deployed several emergency aircraft to Bandar Abbas to provide help.

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Pilgrims travel to Pope Francis’s tomb to remember the late pontiff

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Pilgrims travel to Pope Francis's tomb to remember the late pontiff

Anna and Irene have already been queuing for an hour or so, and they know they have a long wait still to come.

“Two hours, three hours, ten hours – what does it matter?” says Irena. “This is about eternity.”

They have come to Rome from Slovenia, Catholics who felt “Papa Francis would have wanted us to be here”.

People take photos of the grave of late Pope Francis inside St. Mary Major Basilica.
Pic: AP/Andrew Medichini
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People take photos of the grave of late Pope Francis inside St. Mary Major Basilica. Pic: AP/Andrew Medichini

A single white rose left on the tomb. Pic: Vatican
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A single white rose left on the tomb. Pic: Vatican

And under the sun outside Santa Maria Maggiore, they are awaiting the opportunity to visit his tomb.

Francis, says Irena, “was like a rainbow” who lit up the world. Anna nods along: “We are so happy to be here.”

The Pope’s tomb has become a new source of pilgrimage.

More than 30,000 people came to view it during the first morning after the Pope’s funeral, the queue snaking from the front of the mighty basilica and then up and down across the square at the back.

More on Pope Francis

Some were curious visitors, others were devout followers – priests and nuns mixing in the queue with tourists and devoted locals.

All of these admired Francis; a very few actually knew him.

Father Alessandro Masseroni is a deacon who came to Rome to train to become a priest. On his phone, he shows me a photo of him and Francis, with the Pope offering words of encouragement.

Father Alessandro Masseroni meeting the Pope
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Father Alessandro Masseroni meeting the Pope

He says: “I had the honour to serve Pope Francis and to talk to him many times and it was a special experience. I understand why he was so loved by all the people – he was simple and direct.

“He was sunny. St Francis was his role model and when I saw the first picture of the Pope’s tomb, the first thing I thought was of the tomb of St Francis of Assisi.

“Pope Francis will leave a legacy – it doesn’t end with his death but will continue.”

People attend the funeral Mass of Pope Francis at the Vatican, April 26, 2025. REUTERS/Yara Nardi
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People attend the funeral of Pope Francis. Pic: Reuters/Yara Nardi

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Video shows Pope’s tomb

What are your emotions now, as you wait to visit his tomb, I ask. Father Alessandro pauses and smiles.

“Many emotions of course, but mainly, I think… thankfulness.”

That has been a recurring aspect among so many of the people we have met in Rome over the past week – the sense that sadness for Francis’s death is outweighed by the sense that his was a life that should be celebrated.

Volodymyr Borysyak flew in from London on the morning of the Pope’s funeral to make his third pilgrimage to Rome.

Barely had he arrived than his phone was stolen, a crime he responded to by praying for the thief.

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Volodymyr is a refugee from western Ukraine who worries that his home country’s plight is being forgotten by some of the world.

Now, the Pope who inspired him has died.

You might imagine that he would be resentful and angry. Instead, he is full of smiles.

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The farewell to Pope Francis

“We are happy to be the pilgrims of the world and this is a special day,” he tells me. “I know the pope used to pray in this basilica so that is why we will stay so long here to visit Santa Maria Maggiore.

“I think Pope Francis was, is and will be the pope for the world, because of the mercy of his heart and his love for everybody.”

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