The Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, released a video on Saturday showing an Israeli hostage who has been held in Gaza since the group’s attack in October 2023.
In the video, which lasts three and a half minutes and remains unverified by AFP, 19-year-old soldier Liri Albag pleaded in Hebrew for the Israeli government to work towards her release.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, a group advocating for the relatives of those who have been abducted, said that Albag’s family has not given permission for the video’s release.
The conscript was just 18 years old when she was taken by Palestinian militants from the Nahal Oz base located on the Gaza border. Hamas and its ally Islamic Jihad have shared several videos of Israeli hostages they hold throughout the nearly 15 months of conflict in Gaza.
During the attack in 2023, militants captured a total of 251 hostages, with 96 still being held in Gaza, according to the Israeli military, which also reported that 34 of those individuals have died.
On Friday, Hamas announced that indirect negotiations with Israel concerning a ceasefire and hostage release would continue that night in Qatar, though no updates have been provided since then.
Mediators from Qatar, Egypt, and the United States have been engaged in prolonged efforts that have yet to resolve the ongoing war.
Weekly protests organised by the hostages forum have maintained pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to secure the return of the hostages.
On Thursday, Netanyahu’s office announced that he had permitted Israeli negotiators to participate in the latest talks taking place in Qatar.
