Liri Albag, who endured 15 months in Hamas captivity, said that pro-Netanyahu commenters ‘reminded her of the terrorists’ that held her in Gaza after being subjected to a torrent of hateful posts
April 10, 2025 10:17
Former hostage Liri Albag has condemned the “despicable, heartless, inhuman” online abuse she received following her criticism of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a TV interview earlier this week.
Albag, 19, was subjected to a torrent of hateful comments from pro-Netanyahu social media users after a clip of an interview she gave to national broadcaster Kan, in which she suggested Netanyahu mishandled the response to the October 7 massacres, went viral.
Some of the messages reportedly included comments regarding her weight, referred to her as “trash girl” and called for her to be sent “back to Gaza”.
“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 wrote on Instagram
“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.”
She continued: “And why all this? Because I said the Prime Minister is responsible for the failure [on 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.”
“You know what is the most difficult? That this [societal] rift is worse than our enemies. We can’t win like this.” she added. “As the Jewish nation that has been attacked time after time, since Egypt [in the Torah] 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.”
Albag was taken hostage from the IDF’s Nahal Oz base on October 7, 2023, along with Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy, and Agam Berger. She was released in February as part of the now-expired ceasefire agreement.
Since her release, like many of her fellow captives, Albag has spoken out about the horrific conditions she endured. During her captivity, she lost 10kg after being consistently starved by Hamas terrorists.
Netanyahu himself spoke with Albag and her parents, Shira and Eli, on Wednesday following the wave of abuse directed at her.
The call came after Kan aired the promotional clip in which Albag sharply criticised the PM, but later removed it at her request after she was subjected to a barrage of online vitriol.
In the video, Albag said that if she met the Prime Minister, she would tell him she holds him responsible for the security failures that led to the attack, in which Hamas blitzed southern Israel with a force of over 5,000 terrorists, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.
She also said she expects Netanyahu to “ask for forgiveness and promise that the rest of the hostages will be home soon.”
In a statement, the Prime Minister’s Office said that, during the call, Netanyahu expressed “solidarity with Liri in light of the attacks she has faced on social media in recent days,” and conveyed “admiration for her resilience and bravery while in Hamas captivity.”
According to Channel 12, many of the hostile messages originated from pro-Netanyahu Facebook groups, including “Friends who love Benjamin Netanyahu”, which has more than 90,000 members.
Albag was accused by some users of being paid to criticise Netanyahu, while others claimed she was seeking attention, politicising her ordeal, or acting with arrogance.