A new video of a young Israeli hostage relaunches negotiations between Israel and Hamas in Qatar. The families, supported by demonstrations in Israel, are demanding a quick outcome.
Liri, a 19-year-old Israeli soldier, appears in a video published by the armed wing of Hamas. Kidnapped on October 7, 2023 from a military post at the same time as six other women from her unit, she has been detained for 456 days in the Gaza underground. This sign of life – a 3-minute-and-a-half message – is difficult to watch, his parents confide.
Shira Albag, Liri’s mother, spoke moving words to her daughter: “Liri, we are fighting for you. We are not abandoning you. And you will come back alive. Mom promises you that. Mom and dad promise you that. And we keep our promises”.
The young woman’s father also wanted to encourage his daughter, asking that she convey a message of hope to the other hostages: “Tell others to stay strong. A little more time and soon there will be an agreement.”
A massive mobilization in Israel
These moving images have aroused strong emotion in Israel, where thousands of demonstrators gather every Saturday in the streets of Tel Aviv to demand the release of the hostages.
“It feels good to have a sign of life from him. It’s important because we fight for each of them,” confided a woman among the demonstrators. Another, visibly exhausted by these videos, admits: “I can’t watch these videos anymore. They destroy me, they kill me.”
A man insists on the need to remain lucid: “At least we are faced with reality. Just like seeing what is happening in Gaza: the mass evacuations, all the deaths, the orphaned children…”
Negotiations resume in Qatar
In recent hours, indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas have resumed in Qatar. Discussions concern the release of the 96 hostages still being held, 34 of whom have already died, as well as a possible ceasefire in Gaza.
Meanwhile, Israel intensifies its strikes, claiming to have targeted around 100 Hamas positions and caused the deaths of around 60 Gazans in two days.
Gaza Hostages Attack Israel Gaza Strip Negotiations
