(VOVworld) - Two women identifying themselves as Italian aid workers kidnapped in Syria have appeared in a 23-second video urging their government to seek their release.

Two women identifying themselves as Italian aid workers asked  for the government's help (Photo: Youtube/RT)

The video, filmed in mid-December, appeared online Wednesday night and purportedly shows Vanessa Marzullo and Greta Ramelli, who were abducted by gunmen in northern Aleppo province in August. The women, both in their twenties, are shown wearing black dresses and headscarves, seated before a blank wall. One woman holds a piece of paper with the date December 17, though the video appeared to have been posted online on December 31. The other, apparently reading from a script out of shot, urges the Italian government to bring them home before Christmas.