The family of an Israeli hostage filmed in a new Hamas proof-of-life video is “unrecognizable” despite the terror group's apparent attempts to improve her appearance, her family said.
Liri Elbag was one of six soldiers kidnapped from the Nahal Oz base, near the Gaza border. She is one of 100 remaining hostages of the 251 captured on October 7, of whom around 60 are believed to be alive.
The 19-year-old hostage, who turns 20 next month, appears to have been given a new army shirt for the video. It looks like she's also wearing a sweatshirt under her clothes, which probably hides the weight loss.
Shira Elbag, her mother, said after the video was released: “This is not the Liri we know.”
Liri Elbag before she was captured by Hamas
Ms Elbag said her daughter looked “disabled and scared” in the video. “We hear that the terrorists are ready with weapons and are dictating to her what to say.”
She said she had been “waiting for a sign of life for so long” and that her family “crumbled” after finding out Liri had appeared in Hamas's latest video.
“She needs to be at home, she needs her mother and father. She hasn't seen daylight in over 400 days. We are strong and we will fight. She will come back alive, believe it.”
Hamas deliberately tried to improve the hostages' appearance before releasing them, which they may have done prior to filming evidence-of-life videos, according to a report submitted to the United Nations by Israel's Health Ministry .
Video of Hamas' capture in October 2023
According to the UN report, those who were fed 'excessively' before returning to Israel were at risk of refeeding syndrome, which can occur when malnourished people start eating again.
The report also stated that about half of the returned hostages had been deliberately starved while in captivity.
“They were fed a poor diet, which often led to hunger that worsened over time. In addition to inadequate nutrition, they were kept in dark spaces, increasing the risk of vitamin D deficiency,” the report said, with the hostages losing an average of 10 to 17 percent of their body weight.
The panicked mother told Israel's KAN news that while she is “happy to see a sign of life… there is also another side, and it is difficult.”
The video was released amid reports that Hamas had handed over a list of 34 hostages to Israeli negotiators as ceasefire negotiations continue in Doha, Qatar.
An anonymous Hamas official said any deal would be conditional on reaching an agreement on an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a permanent ceasefire.
However, the Israeli Prime Minister's office denied the claims and released a statement saying: “Contrary to claims, Hamas has not forwarded a list of names of abductees to date.”
Hamas did not respond to The Telegraph when asked for comment.
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