Two elderly Israeli hostages released by Hamas terrorists arrive in Israel

Nurit Cooper, 79, and Yocheved Lifshitz, 85, are receiving treatment at Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv

Israeli citizens Nurit Cooper (79) and Yocheved Lifshitz (85) were released by the Hamas terrorists who had held them hostage in Gaza since Oct. 7, Israeli authorities confirmed late Monday night.

Their husbands were also abducted from their homes in Kibbutz Nir Oz during the Hamas attack and are still being held in the Gaza Strip.

Cooper and Lifshitz were handed over to the Red Cross inside the Gaza Strip, which took them to Egypt through the Rafah Border Crossing and transported them to the Israeli border.

From there, they were transported to Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv, where they continued to receive medical treatment after being reunited with their families.

A nurse at the hospital said that Cooper and Lifshitz appeared to be in good condition on arrival. Both had an emotional meeting with their families and then rested.

The two women were slated to undergo more thorough medical tests. It is believed that Cooper and Lifshitz may not have been receiving their required medications during their time in captivity.

In the morning, Lifshitz told Ynet news that she didn’t know where they were held for almost three weeks.

“They loaded me onto a motorcycle… with one terrorist holding me from the front and the other from behind so that I wouldn’t fall. We crossed the border fence into the Strip, and at first, they held me in the town of Abasan al-Kabira, which is close to [Kibbutz] Be’eri. After that, I don’t know where I was taken,” she said.

Hamas spokesman Abu Ubayda said that the women were released “for compelling humanitarian and health reasons.”

The terror organization released Cooper and Lifshitz “despite the occupation committing more than eight violations of the procedures that were agreed upon with the mediating team during this day to complete the handover process,” Abu Ubayda said.

Last Friday, Hamas released two American-Israeli dual citizens who were held hostage, Judith Raanan and her teenage daughter Natalie.