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The family of 19-year-old Liri Albag, an Israeli soldier held captive by Hamas since October 7, 2023, said she looks "broken and shattered" in a recent video released by the militant group on Saturday. In the three-and-a-half-minute footage, Ms Albag, visibly distressed, speaks of being held for over 450 days.
"Today we received a sign of life from Liri; the video is hard to watch," her mother, Shira Albag, said in a statement. "This is not the Liri we know. This is the shadow of Liri."
שירה אלבג, אמה של לירי אלבג: ״עם ישראל היקר, קיבלנו היום אות חיים מלירי; סרטון שלנו קשה לראות. זאת לא לירי שאנחנו מכירים. רה״מ דיבר איתנו, נשיא המדינה, הרמטכ״ל, שר הביטחון ואמרנו להם שיעשו עסקה. זה הזמן. יש את לירי ועוד 99 חטופים שצריכים לחזור הביתה במהרה> pic.twitter.com/hjBHYKxXMP
— Raz Shechnik (@RazShechnik) January 4, 2025
"This is not the same daughter and sister that we know. She is in bad condition, and her difficult mental state is evident," the family said in a longer statement cited by the Times of Israel. "The always-strong Liri looks broken and shattered."
Liri Albag, a surveillance soldier stationed at the Nahal Oz military base near the Gaza border, was among 251 individuals abducted during Hamas's assault on southern Israel. Of the seven surveillance soldiers taken, one was rescued, and another was found dead in captivity. Liri Albag and four others - Karina Ariev, Agam Berger, Naama Levy, and Daniella Gilboa - remain in Gaza.
"This is the time. There is Liri and 99 other hostages who need to return home soon," Ms Albag's mother said. "Every day in Hamas's hell in Gaza poses an immediate risk of death to the living hostages and endangers the ability to recover the fallen for proper burial."
The Albag family appealed directly to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, urging the government to prioritise the hostages' release. "We saw our heroic Liri survive and beg for her life. She is several dozen kilometres from us, and for 456 days we have been unable to bring her home," they said. "Make decisions regarding the hostages as if your children were there. Liri is alive and must come back alive! It depends only on you."
The October 7 attack by Hamas, backed by allied groups, killed about 1,200 Israelis. Since then, Israel has relentlessly targeted schools, hospitals, neighbourhoods, and camps housing internally displaced people. The Benjamin Netanyahu-led government, with unwavering support from the United States, still continues its offensive in Gaza. Israeli airstrikes have killed over 45,000 Palestinians and left nearly the entire population of the densely packed territory displaced.