JERUSALEM 

Statements by an elderly Israeli woman who was released from captivity by Hamas in which she praised the Palestinian resistance group have incited a wave of criticism Tuesday in Israel. 

Yocheved Lifshitz, 85, said at a news conference outside Tel Aviv’s Ichilov Hospital, that she was treated well by Hamas during her two weeks in captivity. She said the Palestinian group provided her with a doctor to monitor her health and worked to secure her medicine.

Lifshitz was one of two hostages released by Hamas’ armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, on “humanitarian grounds.”

Eddie Rothstein, a columnist for Israel Hayom newspaper, said the news conference was a “propaganda win for Hamas,” The Times of Israel newspaper reported.

“What a brave and enlightened woman, the kind we thought they no longer make in Israel, and what clumsy handling of the event,” wrote Rothstein. “The truth is you don’t need to be a PR expert to know you can’t have a press conference like this live on TV.”

Daphna Liel, a reporter for Channel 12, said statements by Lifshitz were pretty shocking.

“There’s no doubt that Lifshitz’s statement could have been managed better,” Liel wrote on X.

Israeli journalist Dana Weiss called the press conference a “disaster,” while journalist Tal Schneider criticized the hospital’s spokesperson for putting Lifshitz in front of the cameras.

“From a professional point of view, this is an embarrassment for the hospital,” she wrote on X.

Israel has launched a relentless bombardment campaign on the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7.

The Israeli army confirmed that at least 222 Israelis were taken captive by Hamas during the attack.

More than 7,100 people have been killed in the conflict, including at least 5,791 Palestinians and 1,400 Israelis.