Evansville man mourns the loss of his uncle, a hostage killed by Hamas

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WFIE) - The past 15 months have been a rollercoaster for Evansville’s Mark Vyvoda.

In October 2023, his aunt and uncle were taken hostage by Hamas. His aunt was released a short time later, but his uncle Oded Lifshitz remained a prisoner of war.

This week, Oded was among the four dead hostages released by Hamas.

“Even though you’re putting on a good face and you’re putting on the good fight for the hope, the not knowing is the hardest part,” Vyvoda said. “We had to maintain hope, until the very last minute.”

And this week, that last minute came. Vyvoda and his family were informed Oded was killed.

“He was somebody who was kind and raised a great family,” Vyvoda said. “I know what his daughter represents and I know what his grandkids represent.”

It’s the grim ending they were hoping never became reality, but despite Oded’s death, Vyvoda says there’s still unfinished business.

“On one hand there’s this end to the chaos and the destruction that our family went through,” Vyvoda said. “On the other hand there’s still hostages that are being kept. There is still work to be done.”

Vyvoda says his family in Israel is waiting for Oded’s body to be returned.

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