• By Aditya Jha
  • Sun, 05 Jan 2025 01:50 PM (IST)
  • Source:JND

The family of 19-year-old Liri Albag, who appeared in the video released by Hamas, has urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other world leaders to consider a ceasefire deal, adding that the footage has “torn their hearts to pieces.” The family has urged the authorities to make a decision, considering that their own children are stuck there. Earlier on Saturday, Hamas released a video of Albag, who has been away from her family since her kidnapping on October 7, 2023. 

The family in a statement stated that the girl is unwell and the authorities must act to get her out of that situation. "The video has torn our hearts to pieces. This is not the daughter and sister we know. She is not well – her severe psychological distress is evident,” the statement from family stated.

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“We watched our heroic Liri surviving and pleading for her life. She is just dozens of kilometers away from us, yet for 456 days we have been unable to bring her home,” it added. In a request to PM Netanyahu, the family said, “You must not miss this current opportunity to bring them back. All of them.”

The request from Albag's family came amid the ongoing protest in Israel calling for a deal to free the hostages. Many of the protestors in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem held signs that referred to Albag. The protest was also attended by the former hostage Almog Meir Jan, who stated that the video reminded him of the time when he was in captivity. He also urged the Israel government to consider a deal that can bring the citizens back to their home. 

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“We see in her eyes the longing, the fear, the exhaustion, and the frustration because she doesn’t understand why she’s still there – and neither do I,” Jan was quoted as saying by CNN. The video from Hamas surfaced amid the ongoing attempt at indirect negotiations on a possible ceasefire-for-hostages deal.