Eli Sharabi's Harrowing Account: Surviving Hamas Captivity and Loss

Life Before October 7th

• 🏡 Eli Sharabi had lived in Kibbutz Be'eri for 35 years, with his wife Leanne, who was originally from the UK.
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 They raised two daughters, Noa (16) and Yahel (13), celebrating their birthdays just a week before the attack.
• 🎶 Noa loved music and enjoyed attending concerts, and also volunteered with children with autism.
• ✈️ Yahel had a passion for extreme activities like skydiving and scuba diving, and played football.

The Horrors of October 7th

• 🚨 The family was woken by an alarm and retreated to their safe room, where they remained for four hours.
• 📺 They saw disturbing news reports from other locations, realizing the situation was out of control.
• 💥 Fighting erupted in the kibbutz, with reports of shootings and houses on fire.
• 💔 Eli and Leanne decided to comply with Hamas demands, hoping Leanne's British passport would protect them, but tragically, his wife and daughters were murdered shortly after he was taken captive.

Captivity and Humiliation

• 🚗 Eli was kidnapped and driven towards Gaza, witnessing approximately 150 terrorists in the neighborhood.
• 🤕 He was beaten in the car and later faced a mob of civilians in Gaza who attempted to lynch him.
• 🗣️ Interrogated in a mosque, Eli's knowledge of Arabic surprised his captors, who suspected him of being IDF secret service.
• ⛓️ He was held in a Palestinian family's home for 52 days, chained and with strict limitations on speaking, eating, and using the toilet.

Tunnel Imprisonment and Survival

• 🚇 After the first ceasefire, Eli and other hostages were moved to tunnels, 50 meters underground.
• 💔 He was separated from other hostages, including American citizen Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who were later murdered.
• ⏳ Eli was held captive for 491 days, with 440 of those days spent in the tunnels.
• 🚿 Conditions were extremely poor, with limited access to hygiene and basic necessities.

Starvation and Hope

• 🍽️ The most difficult aspect of captivity was starvation, with only one meal a day, often just pasta, rice, or dry bread.
• 📉 Eli lost over 60 pounds during his captivity, dropping from over 70 kg to 44 kg.
• 🤝 He formed deep bonds with fellow hostages, sharing stories of their lives to maintain morale and develop survival strategies.
• 🙏 Despite the immense suffering, Eli and the other hostages never lost hope or faith in their eventual release by Israel.