An 85-year-old Israeli woman who was kidnapped by Hamas on October 7 and released two weeks later said that met with the organization’s leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, while in captivity and she asked him if he was ashamed of having used violence to peace activists like herself.

Yosef Lifsitz was abducted from her home in Kibbutz Nir Oz and taken to Gaza. She told the Israeli newspaper Davar that she confronted Sinuar when he visited the hostages in an underground tunnel where Hamas was holding them.

“Sinuar was with us three or four days after our arrival”the elderly woman told the newspaper. “I asked him how he is not ashamed to do such things to people who have supported peace all these years.”

“He did not answer. Be silent,” he added.

Lifsitz is a precision technician and for years, along with her husband, helped transfer sick Palestinians from Gaza to Israeli hospitals, her grandson explained. Her 83-year-old husband, Oded, has also been kidnapped and remains captive.

Speaking to reporters after her release last month, Lifsitz said she had been “through hell” during the two weeks she was held hostage in Gaza. She said she was beaten when she was abducted but then treated well during her captivity.

At the moment of her release, the 85-year-old shook hands with her masked captor. When asked why he did it, he replied: “They treated us with kindness and met all our needs.”