“We are living through the absolute atrocity my parents have spent a lifetime trying to prevent,” says British-Israeli filmmaker Sharone Lifshitz, whose father Oded, 84, is among 101 Hamas hostages who are still unaccounted for.

Oded Lifshitz founded a kibbutz in 1956 along with his wife Yocheved in southern Israel, less than two miles from the Gaza border. A former journalist and longtime peace activist, he has publicly advocated for the creation of a two-state to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“My father spent a lifetime working for peace among nations. He spent a lifetime caring for the weaker people in society, for dignity for all, for Palestinians and Israelis, for a future for our kids,” the couple’s daughter Sharone Lifshitz recalled in an interview with EWTN News In Depth anchor Catherine Hadro that aired Nov. 22.

Yet a horrific act of violence would destroy the peaceful life they enjoyed. On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorists from Gaza brutally attacked the couple’s small agricultural community, killing 57 kibbutz members and taking 77 others hostage — including Oded and Yocheved. In all, some 1,200 Israelis were killed that day and 254 were taken captive, including 12 Americans.

Yocheved Lifshitz was released after 17 days in captivity; Oded, now 84, hasn’t been heard from since.

“We are living through the absolute atrocity my parents have spent a lifetime trying to prevent,” Lifshitz, a British-Israeli filmmaker, told Hadro.

On Nov. 14 Lifshitz and her 86-year-old mother were among a group of former hostages and relatives of some of the 101 remaining Hamas captives that met with Pope Francis at the Vatican.

“I came with my mom to the Pope to ask him to help us, both in action and in prayer to bring back our loved ones home,” Lifshitz recalled.

“I think he really connected with the plight of my father and the other 100 hostages,” she said of the Pope.

“I think he also feels very strongly toward the suffering of Palestinians, and I think this is not exclusive,” she said of the fighting that is estimated to have claimed the lives of more than 40,000 Palestinians since Hamas’ massacre. “He really wanted us to know that he thinks about us and prays for our loved ones every day.”

Hadro asked Lifshitz for her reaction to Pope Francis’ recent comments in a book for the 2025 Jubilee Year in which he calls for an investigation into whether genocide is occurring in Gaza.

In response, Lifshitz focused on the atrocities committed by Hamas against their own people, pointing to the terror group’s use of Palestinian citizens as human shields.

“This is not an action of somebody who believes in life,” she noted.

She continues to look forward to a future of peace, despite the ongoing crisis.

“The people of Gaza can start looking for a future without Hamas,” She said. “They are our neighbors. At the end of this war, I want them to be living in peace next to us.”

On Tuesday, the Israeli security cabinet voted to approve a ceasefire deal in Lebanon, potentially leading to a resolution for the ongoing conflict in the region with Hezbollah.

Regarding a potential ceasefire and the possibility of peace in Gaza, Lifshitz emphasized the need for urgent action.

“Bring them home. Bring them home. Winter is coming. They are in dire straits. They’ve been there 412 days. They are hardly surviving as it is,” she pleaded. “Bring them home.”