Liri Albag, the IDF reconnaissance soldier who spent 477 days in Hamas captivity and returned four months ago, now wants to rejoin the Israel Defense Forces. Her father, Eli Albag, shared the news this morning (Wednesday) in an interview with Ynet.
“Taking on the world again”
According to Eli, Liri made the decision two or three weeks ago: “Whatever’s good for her is good for us. She wants to experience the army again, to feel connected to it. In a way, she also wants to settle the score with those who held her captive. She’s aiming for a very special role.”
He added that she has already reached out to the military about returning to service: “Part of her way of coping is taking on the world again. They took her freedom for 477 days in the lowest place on earth—and now she wants to take it back.”
“600 days too many”
Six hundred days since the start of the Swords of Iron war, the Albag family is still counting. “We’re still marking the days, because for us Liri was reborn. And we keep counting for the other 58 hostages too. We continue the fight, in one way or another, for them,” Eli said. “Every time I speak, I go back to that moment when Liri was taken. I feel what it’s like to be the family of a hostage. To understand what a family goes through over these 600 days? It’s too much. 600 days too many.”
Life after captivity hasn’t been easy for the family. “It’s not simple,” Eli said. “On the one hand, we had to abandon our work for 477 days—we still haven’t fully returned, and it’s very hard. On the other hand, we have a family to piece back together. We went through a trauma—us and Liri—and families don’t go back to what they were before. We have to start repairing what was broken—our mental and physical health. And still, we have to keep fighting for the release of the remaining hostages.”
“The families are in a state of madness”
Eli also commented on remarks made earlier this week by Prime Minister Netanyahu, who said, “We hope to bring news about the hostages, if not today then tomorrow.”
Eli emphasized how statements like these affect the families: “People don’t realize—the families live on medication, with psychologists and psychiatrists. You have to be very careful with what you say to us. Especially the decision-makers and the Prime Minister. They need to be extremely cautious, because the families are in a state of madness. I’m not ashamed to say it—I’ve been in that state for a long time, and I still am. This isn’t something where you say ‘Oops, it’s fixed and everything’s fine.’ It’s not. Far from it. We want to put an end to this, to see the hostages released, and for the families to return to normal as soon as possible. It’s not easy.”
