Former Gaza hostage Eli Sharabi, who was released about a year ago, spoke about life after leaving Kibbutz Be'eri, how he misses his murdered wife and daughters, and the psychological terror Hamas inflicted on him during his captivity in a Tuesday interview with Radio 103FM.
Sharabi told the radio station that he misses the everyday moments he once shared with his daughters, who were killed during the Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023. He noted that his move away from a Gaza border community follows the dream he had while in captivity, where he would tell his daughters that they were no longer living there.
Sharabi reflects on the everyday moments spent with his daughters before they were murdered
“I miss the sense of family, Friday night dinners, the moments in the car when I took the girls to their friends who were scattered across the entire regional council. We listened to music together and talked a lot about their week,” he said.
Nearly a year after his release, Sharabi said he is gradually building a new routine.
“I’m constantly doing things; there are no complaints. New things are happening in my life all the time. I’m building my place outside the Be’eri community, and that’s not simple after 35 years,” he said. “I’m very excited about all these new beginnings. I don’t know how to victimize myself; it’s a derogatory word for me. Things happen, there are situations, if crying helps someone, that’s great, but not for me.”
Former hostage Eli Sharabi: Israel does not leave anyone behind
Sharabi revealed that while in captivity, he often repeated a sentence that sometimes angered others who were held with him by Hamas.
“I knew it was only a matter of time until we would be released. For me, it was completely clear,” he said. “They used a great deal of psychological terror against us, and it’s very hard to consistently ignore it when they tell you that your family has forgotten you and that no one cares about you. I said that I have no idea what the politicians are doing, but there are professional elements who go to sleep with us and wake up with us, and we will be released."
Sharabi said he and the other hostages were entirely cut off from the media.
“I didn’t watch television, I didn’t listen to the radio, we weren’t exposed, but I was 52 at the time, and you understand how things work. This isn’t a pizza you put in the oven and in fifteen minutes it’s ready,” he said. “I have great trust in our security system and in the values of the State of Israel, which does not leave anyone behind. Many things happen behind the scenes. That’s how agreements are reached, and that’s how it will happen.”
Sharabi also described what occupied his thoughts during his days underground.
“When I was in captivity, all I dreamed about was that I would return, take Lian and the girls, give them a week or two to pack, and we would go to England, to live where Lian comes from,” he said. “The look of fear that I saw in my daughters’ eyes, that’s what I’m not going back to. That’s what I dreamed about all the time, and I imagined the meeting at the border when they would run toward me, and I would tell them that we are no longer living in the Gaza border communities. That was my dream.”
Sharabi said the tragic reality ultimately reshaped his vision of life.
“My family makeup changed completely. I love the country, and I enlisted in the struggle to bring back my brother’s body; it was a natural process,” he added.