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Liri Albag, an Israeli soldier who was held hostage by Hamas for more than a year, was briefly detained by U.S. authorities upon her arrival at New York’s JFK Airport after her records mistakenly indicated she was still in captivity.
Albag, 19, was taken for questioning and held for about an hour shortly after landing. Israeli officials intervened to resolve the situation, and she was eventually allowed to enter the United States and continue her vacation.
“There was questioning, but everything is fine,” her father, Eli Albag, told Ynetnews. “Their system still showed her as a hostage—they hadn’t updated the records. It’s just a vacation. Liri wasn’t stressed. It was unpleasant, but it passed.”
Albag served as a lookout in the Israel Defense Forces and was abducted from the Nahal Oz military base during the Oct. 7 Hamas attack that sparked the ongoing war in Gaza. She was released after 477 days in captivity as part of a hostage deal and has since joined advocacy efforts for the release of others still held in Gaza.
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Liri Albag returns home after being released from Hamas captivity
(Photo: Gil Nehushtan)
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Israeli officials acted quickly behind the scenes to address what they viewed as a potentially sensitive diplomatic incident and prevent further distress for Albag, according to sources familiar with the matter.