Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, released a video on Saturday of an Israeli soldier Liri Albag, held hostage in Gaza since the October 2023 attack. The video which is three-and-a-half-minute long shows 19-year-old Albag making a plea in Hebrew language to the Israeli government in a visibly distressed condition. She asks for securing her release and about being held captive for 450 days.

In a statement, her Albag’s family said that she looks ‘broken and shattered’ in the video. “Today we received a sign of existence from Liri; the video is hard to watch,” her mother, Shira Albag said.

Times of Israel quoted the family as saying, “This is not the same daughter and sister that we know. She is in bad condition, and her difficult mental state is evident.” Meanwhile, her family directly appealed to Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and the world leaders to take a decision.

According to reports, Albag was abducted by Palestinian militants along with 6 other women conscripts while she was stationed at the Nahal Oz base near Gaza border. Five of the six women are still in captivity. Of the 251 hostages abducted, 96 are held captive in Gaza, while 34 are reported as dead.

On Friday, Hamas announced indirect negotiations with Israel for a truce and about a hostage release deal to resume in Qatar, reports stated. However, there are no further updates on the deal.