Israeli hostage video released as talks underway

TEL AVIV, Israel — Families of Israeli hostages held in Gaza and others have rallied weekly to press Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reach a ceasefire deal that would bring loved ones home, saying time is running out. At Saturday night’s rally in Tel Aviv, police carried away some protesters who staged a sit-in on a street.

In a video released by Hamas before the latest rally, Israeli soldier and hostage Liri Albag, speaking under duress, expressed anguish over her situation.

“Today is the beginning of a new year; the whole world is celebrating. Only we are entering a dark year, a year of loneliness,” she said. She also said a fellow captive had been wounded by the fighting in Gaza, adding, “We are living in an extremely terrifying nightmare.” She didn’t name the injured person.

Netanyahu’s office said he spoke with Albag’s parents and told them that “efforts are ongoing, including at this very moment” to bring hostages home. Albag’s family in a statement said that “It’s time to make decisions as if your own children were there!”

Meanwhile, in Gaza, Israeli airstrikes killed at least 21 people on Saturday, hospital staff said, while a new effort at ceasefire talks was underway in Qatar after nearly 15 months of war.

Israel’s military said it targeted Hamas fighters with a strike near Salah al-Din in southern Gaza overnight and with a strike on a vehicle in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza. It also said Hamas fired a projectile that hit near the Erez crossing into Gaza.

There were no immediate statements on the indirect negotiations toward a ceasefire. The talks have repeatedly stalled as Netanyahu vows to press on in Gaza until Hamas is destroyed. The talks are mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the United States.

Meanwhile, in the West Bank, relatives mourned an 18-year-old Palestinian who the Palestinian Health Ministry said was killed Friday during clashes with Israel’s army in in Nablus.