"A wave of relief and joy envelops us after 477 long, unbearable days of nerve-wracking waiting," the family of Liri Albag said on Saturday as the IDF observer was brought back to Israel from Hamas captivity.
"Finally, we've been able to see Liri, embrace her, and know she's with us, safe, surrounded by the love of her family."
"Liri demonstrated superhuman strength and survived hell, and we are so proud of her steadfast endurance under impossible conditions," her family added.
Albag returned to Israel on Saturday after spending nearly 500 days as a hostage in Hamas captivity. She was released along with fellow IDF observers Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy, and Karina Ariev.
The Albag family thanked those who supported them, adding that they are thinking about the families of the hostages who have not yet returned, especially Arbel Yehoud, Agam Berger, and the Bibas family.
"Our thoughts are with them, even in these moments of joy, and we are determined to fight until the last hostage returns home."
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum celebrated the release of Gilboa, Levy, Ariev, and Albag - saying their newly returned freedom "represents a moment of light in the darkness" and a "triumph of spirit."
The forum stressed the need to continue working to return the remaining 90 hostages being held in Gaza.
Last week, Hamas released 28-year-old Emily Damari, 23-year-old Romi Gonen, and 31-year-old Doron Steinbrecher.
Who is Liri Albag?
Liri, now 19, was abducted a day and a half after she began her role as an observer, her cousin, IDF corporal Aya Albag shared. She was taken along with other female observers from the Nahal Oz base.
She loves travel and dreams of travelling in Japan, her family shared while advocating for her return. She also has a list of all the restaurants she wants to visit around the world.
Albag dreams of being an interior designer and studying design in Paris; she also has multiple tattoos, including a cherry blossom and a four-leaf clover.
Her cousin said that Liri was motivated and so happy that she was assigned to the Nahal Oz Outpost.
Liri was taken captive from the Nahal Oz Outpost along with other IDF observers. Footage of the abduction, in which the women are seen held by Hamas terrorists in the bases' shelter, some of them bloodied and apparently injured, was released by the families in May.
What is known of Liri's time in captivity?
Footage of Liri, now 19 years old, was released by the Gaza-based terror group in early January.
"I'm only 19 years old. I have my entire life in front of me, but now my entire life has been put on pause," a visibly pale-looking Liri said in the footage while crying. "We're starting a really dark year here. The world is starting to forget about us. No one cares about us. We're living in a nightmare."
Rescued hostage Noa Argamani told Liri’s mother that they had been held as captives and treated as domestic slaves together.
Noa’s statement also revealed that Liri was being kept in an underground tunnel, was only given saltwater and limited food to consume, and was only allowed to shower after a month of captivity.