A former Israeli hostage whose wife and children were killed by Hamas in the 7 October attacks, has said he is trying to be positive after his release earlier this year. In a rare interview, Eli Sharabi, who became one of the most high profile of those taken when gunmen stormed into Israel two years ago, was reflecting on discovering, after his release, that his family had been killed.
He also expressed concern that the latest peace plan to end fighting between Israel and Hamas could fall through and said the lives of the remaining 20 living hostages were being put at risk by the continued Israel-Gaza war. Mr Sharabi told his former captors, Hamas, to sign the deal for their people…and the Middle East... War is wrong and awful for both sides.
We have to keep hope that there will be an agreement, he added. The 20-point peace plan, agreed by US President Donald Trump, and Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, proposes an immediate end to fighting and the release within 72 hours of all hostages, in exchange for hundreds of detained Gazans and Palestinian prisoners in Israel. Hamas officials have indicated they will reject it.
Hamas still holds the body of Mr Sharabi's brother Yossi, who he is desperate to return home for a burial, as well as his friend, 24-year-old Alon Ohel, who was held with him in tunnels deep beneath Gaza.
Having spent 491 days in captivity, Mr Sharabi discovered only on the day of his release in February 2025 that his wife Lianne, and daughters, 16-year-old Noiya and 13-year-old Yahel, were no longer alive - shot dead after he was taken. When they were not there to greet him on his return to Israel, he broke down as he realised the worst scenario happened.
About 1,200 people in Israel were killed on 7 October when Hamas gunmen stormed through the border, while 251 others were taken hostage. As the second anniversary approaches, Mr Sharabi has told BBC News about his ordeal and what is motivating him to rebuild his life.
In central Israel as the sun sets, Mr Sharabi, 53, stands looking out at the calm Mediterranean Sea. As he breathes in the sea air, such freedom felt distant earlier this year as he fought starvation, abuse and violence. On that 7 October morning, the Sharabi family hid for hours in their safe room in Kibbutz Be'eri, an Israeli community of about 1,000 people close to the Gaza border. Nearly one in 10 people in Kibbutz Be'eri were killed or taken hostage that day.
As Hamas gunmen burst in and shots rang out, he and Lianne threw themselves on their daughters. He says they told the gunmen that Lianne, Noiya and Yahel all had British passports, but they dragged him out of his home. I understood it's the moment I've probably been kidnapped. So, I just turned my head towards my girls and shouted 'I'll be back' - and that was the last time I saw them.
Mr Sharabi described how he first was taken to a mosque in Gaza where he was attacked by civilians. For almost all of his 16 months in captivity he says he was tied up - first with ropes to his wrists and ankles, then with iron chains. The pain caused him to pass out, but he says he was determined to survive, even when he struggled to breathe for a month after he was beaten and had his ribs broken.
It's scary. It's humiliating when the freedom is taken away from you, he recalls. You need to ask the permission to breathe, to talk, to go to the toilet. You need to beg for food, water, everything. But I promised my girls that I'd come back to them, and they love life.
Sharabi spent the final six months with three other hostages in cramped conditions with little sanitation or food, losing more than 25 kg in weight. After his release, he has advocated tirelessly for the other hostages and remains deeply concerned about ongoing conflict impacting their fates. He expressed a commitment to keeping his family's spirit alive as he faces the future without them.
It was very tough, but I really, really love life… I'm trying to be positive. I'm working on that.\
He also expressed concern that the latest peace plan to end fighting between Israel and Hamas could fall through and said the lives of the remaining 20 living hostages were being put at risk by the continued Israel-Gaza war. Mr Sharabi told his former captors, Hamas, to sign the deal for their people…and the Middle East... War is wrong and awful for both sides.
We have to keep hope that there will be an agreement, he added. The 20-point peace plan, agreed by US President Donald Trump, and Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, proposes an immediate end to fighting and the release within 72 hours of all hostages, in exchange for hundreds of detained Gazans and Palestinian prisoners in Israel. Hamas officials have indicated they will reject it.
Hamas still holds the body of Mr Sharabi's brother Yossi, who he is desperate to return home for a burial, as well as his friend, 24-year-old Alon Ohel, who was held with him in tunnels deep beneath Gaza.
Having spent 491 days in captivity, Mr Sharabi discovered only on the day of his release in February 2025 that his wife Lianne, and daughters, 16-year-old Noiya and 13-year-old Yahel, were no longer alive - shot dead after he was taken. When they were not there to greet him on his return to Israel, he broke down as he realised the worst scenario happened.
About 1,200 people in Israel were killed on 7 October when Hamas gunmen stormed through the border, while 251 others were taken hostage. As the second anniversary approaches, Mr Sharabi has told BBC News about his ordeal and what is motivating him to rebuild his life.
In central Israel as the sun sets, Mr Sharabi, 53, stands looking out at the calm Mediterranean Sea. As he breathes in the sea air, such freedom felt distant earlier this year as he fought starvation, abuse and violence. On that 7 October morning, the Sharabi family hid for hours in their safe room in Kibbutz Be'eri, an Israeli community of about 1,000 people close to the Gaza border. Nearly one in 10 people in Kibbutz Be'eri were killed or taken hostage that day.
As Hamas gunmen burst in and shots rang out, he and Lianne threw themselves on their daughters. He says they told the gunmen that Lianne, Noiya and Yahel all had British passports, but they dragged him out of his home. I understood it's the moment I've probably been kidnapped. So, I just turned my head towards my girls and shouted 'I'll be back' - and that was the last time I saw them.
Mr Sharabi described how he first was taken to a mosque in Gaza where he was attacked by civilians. For almost all of his 16 months in captivity he says he was tied up - first with ropes to his wrists and ankles, then with iron chains. The pain caused him to pass out, but he says he was determined to survive, even when he struggled to breathe for a month after he was beaten and had his ribs broken.
It's scary. It's humiliating when the freedom is taken away from you, he recalls. You need to ask the permission to breathe, to talk, to go to the toilet. You need to beg for food, water, everything. But I promised my girls that I'd come back to them, and they love life.
Sharabi spent the final six months with three other hostages in cramped conditions with little sanitation or food, losing more than 25 kg in weight. After his release, he has advocated tirelessly for the other hostages and remains deeply concerned about ongoing conflict impacting their fates. He expressed a commitment to keeping his family's spirit alive as he faces the future without them.
It was very tough, but I really, really love life… I'm trying to be positive. I'm working on that.\
