The families of young Israel Defense Forces (IDF) observer soldiers who were kidnapped by Hamas in the October 7, 2023 attack have released previously unseen photos showing them in the first days of captivity to demand an investigation and a truce with the Palestinian terrorist group that would allow the release of the hostages.
One of the photos shows Liri Albag with her arms crossed, Agam Berger with her lips bruised, Daniella Gilboa and Karina Ariev, both with bandages on their heads. They are all sitting on mats on the floor with bottles of water next to a photo of Hamas leader Ismail Haniye.
Another photo shows Naama Levy with a black right eye and a swollen face, with a wall in the background.
These images were published alongside others showing the young women looking healthy and smiling before they were abducted, and were released as their relatives held a press conference in Tel Aviv.
Albert Ariev, Karina’s father, was heartbroken as he described the image of his 19-year-old daughter, who had blood stains on her pants and marks on her wrists. The last words he heard from his daughter haunt him: “Daddy, I’m scared.”
The statements came hours after the relatives met in Jerusalem with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whom they are demanding sign a ceasefire allowing the release of the 116 hostages still held captive in the Gaza Strip, ahead of his planned trip to the United States at the weekend.
“This is not the time to travel, it is time to strike a deal and bring the hostages home,” Ayelet Levy Shachar, Naama’s mother, told the conference.
The young women, who were doing their mandatory military service as observers at the Nahal Oz base, less than a kilometer from the Gaza Strip, had warned their superiors about strange movements inside the Palestinian territory and the risk of an imminent attack months before October 7, but commanders ignored them, according to their families and colleagues who were not on duty that day.
During the three-hour meeting with the families, Netanyahu said what happened “would be thoroughly reviewed and lessons would be learned at all levels, including the intelligence, operational, military and diplomatic spheres,” according to a statement from the prime minister’s office.
However, the families are demanding a commission of inquiry, something Netanyahu refuses to commit to, according to local media.
The Nahal Oz base was one of the first targets of the Hamas attack, which included the firing of thousands of rockets and the infiltration of numerous Palestinian terrorists into Israeli territory.
At this base alone, 15 observers were killed and six others were taken hostage. In addition, 51 non-observers were also killed at Nahal Oz.
A few weeks ago, the families of the servicewomen created a forum called Their Voices to demand an investigation and for the IDF to release recordings of their daughters speaking on the radio during their final tours.
The military observers who worked at that base – now reduced to ash and rubble – and at others around Israel’s borders are all very young women, in their 20s, who carry no weapons and are known as “the eyes of Israel.”
Their job is to observe the terrain for hours via surveillance cameras and report any suspicious activity to higher command.
In May, the Hostage Families Forum, which represents many of the 251 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7, released a video — recorded by the group itself — showing the aggressive abduction of the female bystander soldiers, many of whom were bleeding.
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