Hamas releases video of Israeli teen soldier held hostage since Oct 2023

The armed wing of Hamas, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, on Jan 4 released a video showing Israeli soldier Liri Albag, who has been held hostage in Gaza since the October 2023 attack.

In the three-and-a-half-minute, undated video, Albag, 19, appeals in Hebrew for the Israeli government to secure her release.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, a campaign group for families of abducted individuals, confirmed that Albag’s family had not authorized the publication of the video.

In a statement, the family said, “We appeal to the prime minister, world leaders and all decision-makers: it's time to take decisions as if it were your own children there."

Albag was captured by Palestinian militants along with six other women conscripts at the Nahal Oz base on the Gaza border. Five of the six women remain in captivity.

Hamas and its ally, Islamic Jihad, have released multiple videos showing Israeli hostages during nearly 15 months of fighting in Gaza. Of the 251 hostages seized in the 2023 attack, 96 remain in Gaza, while the Israeli military says 34 have died, according to media reports.

Hamas announced late on Jan 3 that indirect negotiations with Israel for a truce and a hostage release deal would resume in Qatar. However, no further updates have been provided. Mediators Qatar, Egypt, and the United States have been engaged in months-long efforts, but the war has not yet ended.

The hostages forum has organized weekly demonstrations, including one scheduled for Tel Aviv on Jan 4, calling on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to finalize a deal to free the hostages. Critics of Netanyahu have accused him of stalling.

The forum referred to the release of the video as “firm and incontestable proof of the urgency of bringing the hostages home.” On Jan 2, Netanyahu’s office confirmed that Israeli negotiators had been authorized to participate in the latest round of truce and hostage release talks in Qatar.