Released Israel hostage Liri Albag condemns hateful attacks after criticizing Netanyahu over Oct. 7 failures

Released Israeli hostage Liri Albag condemned those who attacked her for criticizing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s post-Oct. 7 Gaza policies in the ongoing war against the terrorist organization Hamas. 

“I’m reading the threats and curses I received, and I’m afraid. I’m not afraid of the responses themselves… I am afraid of what we’ve become,” Albag said on Wednesday in an Instagram post. She was responding to hateful comments made by pro-government individuals. 

Albag specifically addressed some of the most extreme comments from people who wished she had stayed in Hamas captivity in Gaza.

“Wishing someone would be in captivity??? I wouldn’t wish that upon my haters. Make fun of my weight? Reminds me of the terrorists [captors] who shouted at me and made sure to remind me daily that I’m fat. To promise death and revenge??? Wish this upon Hamas and our enemies, not me,” Albag stated in her response to her critics. 

“And why all this? Because I said the prime minister is responsible for the failure [of October 7]…. And yes, all the security leadership is to blame, don’t worry. I told them this in my meetings with them!!! And of course, foremost to blame for the country’s nightmare is Hamas. I don’t forget this terror group for a moment, and I personally want revenge against it. Hamas is the enemy!!!!!!” she continued. 

The former hostage expressed concerns about the growing rifts in Israeli society. 

“You know what is the most difficult? That this [societal] rift is worse than our enemies. We can’t win like this!!” she argued. “As the Jewish nation that has been attacked time after time, since Egypt [in the Bible] until today, let’s fight our enemies and not one another. You will never understand what we went through there and I don’t wish for you to understand!”

On Wednesday evening, the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the prime minister had spoken with the Albag family and expressed “solidarity with Liri in light of the attacks she has faced on social media in recent days.” Netanyahu also allegedly “expressed admiration for her resilience and bravery while in Hamas captivity” during a phone call with the former hostage. 

The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) further argued that Albag thanked Netanyahu for “the emotional conversation, for his courageous decision to secure her release and that of other hostages, and urged him to continue efforts to bring everyone home.” 

Albag and several of her IDF teammates were kidnapped on Oct. 7, 2023, from the IDF Nahal Oz observation base located close to the Gaza border. 

In January 2025, Albag, Karina Ariev, Danielle Gilboa and Naama Levy were freed after 477 days in captivity as part of an internationally brokered hostage agreement with Hamas. In exchange, Israel released a large number of convicted terrorists held in Israeli prisons.  

The Albag family praised her release and her courage during the long captivity. 

"At last, we were able to see Liri, hug her, and know that she is with us, in her safe place, surrounded by her family's love. Liri showed incredible strength and survived hell, and we are so proud of her steadfastness in impossible conditions."

Albag lost 10 kilograms (22 pounds) during the difficult captivity in Gaza. Like many other freed Israeli hostages, Albag recalled the appalling living conditions and the Hamas terrorists’ systematic mistreatment of the Israeli hostages. 

During an interview in January 2025, the former hostage Amit Soussana credited Albag for saving her life during captivity. 

"Liri is something special," Soussana said. "She is a force of nature. I told her when she came back: 'I don't know if they would have killed me or not, as far as I'm concerned, you saved my life.'"