By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
GAZA CITY/JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – Family members faced more agony on Sunday after fighters of Hamas released a video of an Israeli hostage held in Gaza since its October 2023 attack.
Liri Albag, described by local media as a soldier, was 18 when she was captured by Hamas, designated as a Palestinian terror organization by Israel and most of its allies.
She was taken on October 7, 2023, at the Nahal Oz base on the Gaza border along with six other women conscripts, five of whom remain in captivity. In total, Hamas abducted about 250 people That day while killing some 1,200 others in the biggest attack against Jews since the Holocaust, also known as Shoah.
In the undated, three-and-a-half-minute video recording, Albag, now 19, called in Hebrew for the Israeli government to secure her release as part of a broader ceasefire deal.
The video came as Israel intensified attacks on Gaza, with the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry saying on Sunday that 88 people had been killed in bombardment over the past 24 hours.
Death figures released by the health ministry and other Hamas-led authorities have been complex to verify independently. Additionally, Hamas officials decline to differentiate between combatants and civilians when mentioning victims.
Yet, local authorities claimed that the latest round of Israeli activities in Gaza included a
strike on a home in Gaza City on Saturday that killed 11 people, including seven children.
SEARCHING FOR SURVIVORS
Footage showed residents searching through rubble for survivors and the bodies of the dead wrapped in shrouds.
“A huge explosion woke us up. Everything was shaking,” neighbor Ahmed Mussa told the media.
“It was home to children, women. There wasn’t anyone wanted or who posed a threat.”
The Israeli military stressed on Sunday that it had struck more than 100 “terror targets” in the Gaza Strip over the past two days and “eliminated dozens of Hamas terrorists.”
As fighting continued, Liri Albag’s parents said it had torn their hearts to pieces to see the video showing their abducted daughter. They urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “make decisions as if your children were there.”
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters, which represents hostage families, said the sign of life from Liri was “harsh and undeniable proof of the urgency in bringing all the hostages home.”
However, it did not authorize the release of the Hamas video.
In a call to Lira Albag’s parents, Israeli President Isaac Herzog said his country’s delegation would remain at the negotiating table until all hostages were returned home.
Israeli officials have previously described the release of such videos by Hamas as psychological warfare ahead of a possible ceasefire deal.
Last month, a senior Palestinian official reportedly said talks to reach a ceasefire and hostage release deal were mostly complete, but key issues still needed to be overcome.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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