Gaza captive Albag says her survival hinges on Israeli army withdrawal

CAIRO – 4 January 2025: The military wing of Hamas released a video featuring 19-year-old Israeli soldier Liri Albag, who the movement captured on its 7 October 2023 attacks on Israel and has kept in Gaza alongside other captives.

In the video, she states that her survival depends on the withdrawal of the Israeli army.

This release comes amid ongoing indirect negotiations in the Qatari capital, Doha, aimed at achieving a complete ceasefire in Gaza. However, no significant progress has been made toward a deal to end the war.

In the 3-minute and 34-second video published on the movement's Telegram channel, Albag remarks in Hebrew: “We are not a priority for our government or our army.”

She implores the Israeli government to halt the war and, visibly emotional, asks, “If your loved ones were the ones in captivity, would the war continue? Do you want to kill us?”

Albag asserts, “You will not be able to rescue us through military operations; this will not succeed, and you know that.”

She expresses concern that “the world is starting to forget us” and emphasizes that her survival hinges on the army's withdrawal.

Addressing Defense Minister Yisrael Katz directly, she says, “You know my father. Look him in the eye and tell him that he and my mother will never hug their daughter again... You won't have the courage to do that.”

Albag criticizes the ongoing bombing of Gaza, stating, “It is madness to think that this approach will lead to a solution. We live under heavy bombing every day. Do you know what life is like in a place that you are bombing, where there is no shelter?”

At the conclusion of her message, she says, “If something happens to me, remember me and remember my name. Let it be written on my grave: All this is because of the government and the army.”

Albag confirmed that she has been held in Gaza for more than 450 days.

On October 7, 2023, Hamas captivated 251 people from Israel, including Israeli civilians and soldiers as well as foreign nationals.

In November 2023, a prisoner swap deal facilitated by Egypt, Qatar and the United States led to the release of around 100 Israeli captives in exchange for about 240 Palestinian prisoners.

According to the AFP, of the 251 captives taken by Hamas on 7 October 2023, 96 individuals remain in captivity in Gaza, with 34 reportedly dead, according to the Israeli military.

Israeli attacks in recent months have resulted in the reported deaths of captives.

On 1 September, the Israeli army asserted that they have recovered the bodies of six captives from tunnels under the enclave, including 23-year-old Goldberg-Polin, an Israeli-American captive.

The war in Gaza has killed over 45,700 Palestinians to date and injured more than 108,850 others to date, according to the health ministry in Gaza.

The war has also devastated critical infrastructure and pushed the enclave toward the brink of famine.