The flowers were accompanied by a note which read “May her memory be a blessing, we all know that the country is more important.”
By World Israel News Staff
Iranian agents sent a mourner’s wreath to the family of a female soldier held captive in the Gaza Strip as a way to psychologically torture her loved ones, according to findings by the Shin Bet security agency.
The sister of Liri Albag, who was kidnapped from the Nahal Oz base by Hamas terrorists, said the family was devastated by the delivery of a floral wreath, which was clearly meant to be placed on a grave.
The flowers were accompanied by a note which read “May her memory be a blessing, we all know that the country is more important.”
“How are there people in the world who dare to send a mourning wreath to our family, when we know she is alive?” Albag’s sister told Channel 12 News. “It’s horrifying and makes me sick.”
Albag’s father, Eli, told the outlet that he is “collapsing” and that the delivery and note left him speechless.
Albag, who was seen numerous times by released hostages, is presumed to still be alive. One captive who spent time in the same home as Albag said she was being used as a domestic slave by Gazan families.
Initially, it was thought that the wreath delivery and note were politically-motivated and sent from within Israel, but the Shin Bet determined that Iran was “most likely” behind the incident.
The florist who fulfilled the order, named only as Yaakov, told Hebrew-language media that he did not realize the wreath was going to the family of a hostage.
He told Channel 12 News that he had been suspicious about the order, due to the fact that the customer stated in the instructions to Yaakov that he was sending the wreath to himself, and that it had to be delivered in person.
Yaakov said he had tried several times to reach the customer via phone. When that failed, he sent an email to the address the customer used to place the order.
The customer responded to the email, confirming that they were waiting for the delivery at the Albag family home.