Our hearts were full on Jan. 25 as we welcomed Liri Albag, Naama Levy, Karina Ariev, and Daniella Gilboa home after an unimaginable 477 days held in Hamas captivity.
The four soldiers were taken hostage from a base near Kibbutz Nahal Oz, where they were serving as lookouts, and provided some of the earliest warnings of the October 7th attacks as they began.
This second release of hostages gave us hope that in the coming weeks, we would see continued hostage releases until every last one of the remaining 90 hostages are returned home to their families.
Liri Albag, a 19-year-old Israeli soldier from Matan in the southern Sharon region, loves the sea, nature, and travel. Her friends and family shared that she has a passion for design and fashion, boasting an impressive collection of shoes, enjoyed critiquing restaurants and often found herself behind the camera.
On October 7, 2023, while serving as a surveillance soldier at the Nahal Oz military base near the Gaza border, Liri was abducted by Hamas terrorists during a surprise attack along with five other female soldiers. She was held captive in Gaza for 477 days under harsh conditions, including confinement in dark tunnels with minimal light and fresh air. Despite the adversity, Liri emerged as a leader among the hostages, often communicating with Hamas terrorists on behalf of her fellow hostages.
Naama Levy, a 20-year-old Israeli surveillance soldier, was abducted by Hamas on October 7, 2023, during the attack on the Nahal Oz military base near the Gaza border. Levy, who was raised in India at an American school, is a triathlete and soccer lover and volunteered at a kindergarten for children of asylum seekers.
A widely circulated video from October 7, 2023, showed Naama Levy in a black shirt and blood-soaked gray sweatpants, being dragged from a Jeep by an armed terrorist. Her ankles had been slashed, and she struggled to walk, visibly wounded from her violent abduction. The footage turned Levy into a symbol of the suffering endured by female hostages and the brutality of Hamas’ attack.
She spent 477 days in captivity, enduring harsh conditions, including long periods of isolation and confinement in underground tunnels. Reflecting on her ordeal in a social media post after her release on January 25, 2025, she shared, “For the first 50 days after October 7, I was alone most of the time, and after that, I was in captivity with my friends… who gave me strength and hope.”
Karina Ariev, a 20-year-old Israeli soldier, was stationed at the Nahal Oz army base near the Gaza border when Hamas abducted her on October 7, 2023, alongside five other female soldiers.
Over the next 477 days in captivity, Karina endured severe conditions, including food deprivation, forced labor, and isolation. A video released in January 2024 showed her and other hostages, providing signs of life to their families. In her final message before contact was lost, she told her sister, “They’re here,” as gunfire echoed in the background. Her sister Alexandra recalled, “She was scared, crying, she was in panic.”
Daniella Gilboa, a 20-year-old Israeli soldier, was stationed at the Nahal Oz army base near the Gaza border when Hamas abducted her on October 7, 2023, alongside five other female soldiers. Before her abduction, Daniella was known for her enthusiasm for music, playing the piano, and her warm, friendly demeanor.
During her 477 days in captivity, Daniella endured harsh conditions, confined in underground tunnels with little light, no fresh air, and scarce access to basic necessities. News was limited, mostly from Al Jazeera and radio broadcasts.
“Daniella saw what was happening here; she knew they were fighting for her,” said Inbar Dadon, the mother of her boyfriend, Roi Dadon. “They saw the families, the mothers. Her mother is a lioness who led an amazing process until she held her again in her arms.”
