| Kidnapping of Liri Albag | |
|---|---|
| Part of theGaza war hostage crisis | |
 Liri Albag after her release, 25 January 2025 | |
 | |
| Location | Nahal Oz,Southern District,Israel |
| Coordinates | 31°28′21″N34°29′50″E / 31.47250°N 34.49722°E /31.47250; 34.49722 |
| Date | October 7, 2023 (2023-10-07) – January 25, 2025 (2025-01-25) |
Attack type | Kidnapping |
| Perpetrator |  Hamas |
Liri Albag (Hebrew:לירי אלבג) is anIsraeli woman serving inIsrael Defense Forces who was kidnapped inNahal Oz duringOctober 7 attacks byHamas.[1] Albag's experience as a hostage held by Hamas for 477 days received significant national and international media attention,[2][3] not only because of the duration and harshness of her captivity[4][5][6] but also due to her actions during that time. Albag emerged as a leader among the hostages, communicating with captors on behalf of others. She was credited with saving the life of fellow hostage Amit Soussana by convincing captors that Soussana was not an IDF officer, likely preventing her execution.[7]
Albag's ordeal and subsequent release were the subject of major interviews and media reports,[8][9][10] where she spoke about the psychological and physical trauma endured, as well as her perspectives on the ongoing conflict.[11][12] After her release, Albag became a public advocate for remaining hostages and has spoken at public events.[13][14] Albag has decided to resume her military service, a decision covered by major Israeli news outlets and seen as a symbol of resilience and commitment.[15][16][17] Albag’s experiences and actions have made her a recognized figure in Israel and internationally, especially in the context of the Israel-Hamas conflict and the campaign for the release of hostages.[18][19]
Albag was born inMatan,[20] the daughter of Shira and Eli Elbag; she had three siblings and lived in MoshavYarhiv at the time of her kidnapping.[20] At age 18, she enlisted in theIsraeli Defence Forces and trained to be a lookout, after which she was assigned to theNahal Oz outpost. Two days into her service after completing her training,Hamas launchedOperation Al-Aqsa Flood.[21][22]
Albag was serving as an observer at theNahal Oz base when the outpost was attacked and overrun byHamas early in the morning of 7 October 2023. When the attack began, Albag was off-duty and asleep in the sleeping quarters along with fellow observersNaama Levy and Noam Abramowitz; they were awakened at 6:30 by arocket attack on the base and rushed to a bomb shelter, along with other off-duty female personnel.[23] Hamas members stormed the shelter and killed most of the occupants, capturing seven survivors, including Albag. In a video published several months later she was seen asking for someone who could speakEnglish. Along with fellow observersAgam Berger, Karina Ariev and Daniella Gilboa, Albag was loaded in amilitary jeep and taken to theGaza Strip.[24][25]
After arriving in Gaza, Albag and the other captured observers were initially held in an apartment, where after two days Albag and Berger were separated from Ariev and Gilboa. Albag would spend the entirety of her captivity together with Berger, being joined at times by a number of other hostages, including Naama Levy, Keith and Aviva Siegel, the Almog-Goldstein family, Romi Gonen,Emily Damari, Amit Soussana, and Dafna and Ella Elyakim.[26]
Initially Albag and other female captives were held in private homes, including a luxury villa, where they cleaned yards, did dishes, babysat the children of the families of their captors, and prepared food that they were not allowed to eat. After 40 days, they were moved to underground tunnels.[27] She later described being held for some time in an underground cage roughly 2×2 meters in area and 1.6 meters high, along with four more young women, where they were fed "a quarter of apita, a date and half a bowl ofrice a day"; there was a hole in the floor some 800 meters away for them to use as a toilet.[28]
According to former civilian hostage Amit Soussana, Albag saved her life by persuading their captors that Soussana was not an IDF officer.[29] In one instance, Albag asked forChanukah candles[30] and would later declare "that the only thing I did not lose wasJudaism."[24]
In March 2024, the IDF reported finding Albag's DNA in a house in Gaza.[31]
On 4 January 2025, theAl-Qassam Brigades published a video where Albag stated that "the Israeli army's military operations will not succeed in rescuing the captives."[32]
Albag's father, Eli, was one of the more visible participants in theIsraeli hostage deal protests.[31] He reported being routinely attacked and harassed for calling for Albag's release and criticizing the Israeli government.[33][34][35] In October 2023, a counterprotester called Eli a "traitor" and wished for Albag's death.[36] After finance ministerBezalel Smotrich stated that releasing the hostages was not the most important goal of the Gaza war in February 2024, Eli criticized his remarks.[37] The Albag family received a funeral wreath in April 2024 with the statement: "May her memory be a blessing - Liri Albag. But everyone knows the country is more important." TheShin Bet stated it may have been sent by Iran.[31] In September 2024, Eli protested outside of aLikud event. Counterprotesters threw eggs at him, called him a "cancer", and accused him of being funded by Hamas.[34][38] The incident was condemned by MKMiki Zohar.[33][34]
On 24 January 2025,Hamas announced that Albag and three other female IDF soldiers would be released the next day as part of the hostage exchange during theJanuary 2025 Gaza war ceasefire. For each female soldier released byHamas,Israel agreed to release 50 Palestinian prisoners it held, of whom 30 were serving life sentences.[22][39] The following day, Albag and fellow IDF observers Naama Levy, Karina Ariev, and Daniella Gilboa were handed over by Hamas to theRed Cross inPalestine Square inGaza.[40][41][42]
In June 2025, Albag declared her intention to return to theIsrael Defense Forces.[43]
DuringOperation True Promise III she stated thatIranian intelligence benefits from published photos ofIsrael and these should be avoided.[44]
In July 2025, Albag met withGal Gadot along with freed hostages Doron Steinbrecher, Naama Levy, Moran Stella Yanai, and Ilana Gritzewsky.[45]
