[The family of a hostage, Liri Albag, who appears in a latest video released by Hamas, has called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to seize the opportunity to do a ceasefire deal. The video has “torn our hearts to pieces,” said the family in a statement, describing their daughter and sister’s severe psychological distress.
The video, released by Hamas’ military wing, mentions the New Year, but there is no definitive proof that it was shot within the last few days. Albag, 19, was taken hostage along with other field observers from the Nachal Oz military base near Gaza during Hamas’ October 7, 2023, cross-border attacks, in which more than 1,200 Israelis were killed and 250 taken hostage.
As of December 5, Hamas was still holding 100 hostages in Gaza, most of whom were abducted during those attacks and several of whom are dead. Israel’s subsequent war on Hamas in Gaza has killed more than 45,000 Palestinians, according to the health ministry in the enclave.
The family of the hostage has authorized the release of two still frames from the latest video and appealed to Netanyahu and world leaders to bring the hostages back. They said, “You must not miss this current opportunity to bring them back. All of them.”
Thousands of Israelis joined street protests in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and other cities, holding signs referencing Albag and calling for a deal to release the hostages. A former hostage, Almog Meir Jan, who was rescued after months in Hamas’ captivity, spoke about the video, saying it reminded him of his own time in captivity. “It was a very frightening and stressful situation. In one moment, everything floods back as you speak and think about the nightmare you’re going through. And you film the video hoping that this time it will do the job, create the necessary noise so they’ll say that this time it’s enough, let’s end this madness, that this time it really needs to happen,” he said.
Israeli officials assured Liri’s parents that they continue to work tirelessly for her return and the return of all hostages, and that efforts are underway to achieve a ceasefire deal. However, indirect negotiations in Doha, Qatar, have shown little progress, according to Israeli and Egyptian officials. US President-elect Donald Trump has previously said that there will be “hell to pay” if the hostages are not freed by his inauguration on January 20.
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