Shin Bet says Iran was behind funeral bouquet sent to taunt hostage’s family
Wreath delivered to home of Liri Albag with note saying ‘may she rest in peace’; father of captive says ‘I am collapsing’; florist says he was wary, double-checked with the sender
The Shin Bet security agency said on Sunday it suspected Iran was behind the delivery of a wreath of flowers to the family home of hostage Liri Albag, in the Yarhiv farming community in central Israel’s Sharon region.
The wreath, of the kind laid at graves, was delivered on Friday with a note reading: “May her memory be a blessing, we all know that the country is more important.” The Shin Bet said it would continue investigating the incident.
The agency’s announcement that Iran was “most likely” behind the bouquet quelled speculation on social media that it had been sent by loyalists of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who are dissatisfied with increasingly vocal criticism of the premier from the families of the hostages.
Before the Shin Bet’s announcement, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said that it “vigorously condemns the violent behavior against the family of Liri Albag,” promising a comprehensive investigation “led by the Forum’s security officer.”
Reached for comment before the Shin Bet named Iran as the culprit, the florist from whom the bouquet had been ordered declined to respond to a Channel 12 query.
Later Sunday, the florist, named as Yaakov, said the wreath was ordered online, and that while he didn’t recognize Liri Albag’s name as a hostage, he was wary about the request to deliver the wreath to the home. He said he delayed delivery, tried several times in vain to call the sender, and finally reached him via email. The sender, said Yaakov, indicated that the wreath was to be sent to his own home, and told him, “Yes sir, I want you to deliver the wreath to me, as written [in the online order].”
Speaking to the Walla news site, Liri’s sister Roni Albag said the family didn’t know who sent the wreath, and that upon its discovery, it was taken to the police station by a local security officer to prevent the family from seeing it.
משפחתה של לירי אלבג שחטופה בעזה, קיבלה לביתה גלגל פרחים של הלוויות עם המילים- יהי זכרה ברוך, כולנו יודעים שהמדינה היא החשובה ביותר.
אלי אמר הבוקר- אני בקריסה, אין לי מילים.
אין מילים.
המשטרה פתחה בחקירה. pic.twitter.com/xuT7Tu0gQe— Michal Peylan • מיכל פעילן (@michalpeylan) April 7, 2024
“How are there people in the world who dare to send a mourning wreath to our family, when we know she is alive?” Roni asked. “I have no words. It’s horrifying and makes me sick.”
Liri’s father Eli Albag said to Channel 12 that he had “no words.”
“I am collapsing,” said the father.
Albag, 19, was taken hostage on October 7 from the Nahal Oz military base, where she was slated to begin service as a surveillance soldier. She is believed to be alive, and remains in Gaza with 128 other hostages snatched on October 7, more than 30 of whom have been declared dead based on Israeli intelligence.
Former hostages released in the weeklong November truce said they had seen Albag, and that she had been forced to go between various Gazan families’ homes to cook and clean for them.
Two hundred and fifty-three people of all ages were taken hostage on October 7, when thousands of Hamas-led terrorists stormed southern Israel, killing nearly 1,200 people amid rampant sexual violence and other atrocities.
Emanuel Fabian contributed to this report.
