Hamas Releases '19-Year-Old Female Hostage'
"I am only 19, my whole life is on hold"
"The world is starting to forget us... living in a nightmare"
"Appealing for direct intervention by the Israeli government"
Palestinian armed group Hamas released a video of a 19-year-old Israeli hostage abducted during their surprise attack on Israel last October. The family who watched the video expressed their frustration, saying, "The image in the video was not the person we knew," and "We watched her begging for her life. Although she was not far away, we could not bring her home for 456 days."
On the 4th (local time), foreign media including the UK Guardian reported, "The hostage in the video released by Hamas is 19-year-old woman Lira Albarg, indicating that she may still be alive." In the video, Albarg mentioned that it was now 2025 and sobbed, "I have been held captive for 450 days. I am only 19 years old. My entire life that lay ahead of me has come to a halt." She continued, "The world has begun to forget us (Israeli hostages held by Hamas). No one cares about us. We are living in a nightmare," and cried out, "I hope the Israeli government will intervene directly in the hostage release issue."
Albarg’s family, after watching the video, said, "The appearance of her in the video was not the person we knew. It was clear she was not in good health," and expressed their anger, saying, "We watched Albarg survive and beg for her life. Although she was not far away, we could not bring her home for 456 days." They further appealed, "We urge the Israeli Prime Minister, world leaders, and all decision-makers that it is time to make a decision," emphasizing, "Albarg is still alive and must come back alive. We must not miss this opportunity," calling for active efforts from authorities and the international community.
Albarg also appeared in a video released by Hamas last May, which showed teenage female hostages. In the video, the female hostages were lined up against a wall with their hands tied, and some had bloodied faces. Hamas militants in the video referred to these female hostages as ‘Sabaya.’ Sabaya is an ancient Islamic term used to denote ‘slaves.’
One Hamas militant harassed them by saying, "You are really beautiful," while another pushed the female hostages roughly against the wall, cursing, "We will trample you." Another Hamas militant threatened with violence and sexual assault, saying, "Our brothers died because of you, so we will shoot you all," and "There are women here whom we can impregnate."
Israeli authorities estimate that at least 62 hostages are currently held by Hamas. Israel and Hamas are currently negotiating a ceasefire in Doha, Qatar, under the mediation of the United States, Egypt, and Qatar, but no clear agreement has been reached. Hamas announced that, as part of an agreement toward ending the Gaza conflict, it approved a list of hostages to be released in the first phase at Israel’s request. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quickly issued a statement denying that Hamas had presented any list of hostages.
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