(MENAFN- Live Mint) Palestinian militant group released a video on Saturday showing Israeli hostage Liri Albag urging Israel to do more to secure the hostages' release. She said their lives were in danger because of Israel's military action in Gaza. Local media said Albag was a 19-year-old soldier. She was held hostage in Gaza since its October 2023 attack.
The video was released by the armed wing of Hamas , the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades. In the undated, three-and-half-minute video recording circulating on social media, the 19-year-old soldie , Liri Albag, called in Hebrew for the Israeli government to secure her release.
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Mint could not independently verify the video.
Family reacts
Albag was 18 when she was captured by Palestinian militants at the Nahal Oz base on the Gaza border, news agency AFP reported.
Albag's family said the video had "torn our hearts to pieces".
"This is not the daughter and sister we know. Her severe psychological distress is evident," Reuters reported while citing a family statement said. They called on Israel's government and world leaders not to miss the opportunity to bring all remaining hostages back alive.
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Her family also issued an appeal to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu , saying: "It's time to take decisions as if it were your own children there."
Netanyahu said in response to the video that Israel continued to work tirelessly to bring the hostages home. "Anyone who dares to harm our hostages will bear full responsibility for their actions," he said.
Hamas and its ally Islamic Jihad have released several videos of Israeli hostages in their custody during nearly 15 months of fighting in Gaza. The militants seized 251 hostages during the October 2023 attack, of whom 96 remain in Gaza. The Israeli military said 34 of those are dead.
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Following the latest video, Israel confirmed on Saturday that negotiations for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal had resumed in Qatar, as rescuers said more than 30 people had been killed in fresh bombardment of the territory.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz told relatives of Liri Albag that "efforts are underway to free the hostages, notably the Israeli delegation which left yesterday (Friday) for negotiations in Qatar."
Katz said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had given "detailed instructions for the continued negotiations".
Mediators Qatar, Egypt and the United States have been engaged in months of effort that have failed to end the war.
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