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Kibbutz Be’eri, Israel—Ofir Engel, a 19-year-old Israeli recently freed from Hamas captivity, shared his traumatic experiences in Gaza following his abduction during the October 7 Hamas-led assault on southern Israel.
Engel’s ordeal, along with that of his girlfriend’s family, provides chilling insight into the mistreatment of hostages and the ongoing crisis that leaves over 100 Israelis still in captivity.
A Morning of Terror
Engel was observing Simchat Torah with his girlfriend Yuval Sharabi and her family in Kibbutz Be’eri when the attack began.
Awoken at 6:30 a.m. by rocket sirens, the group sought refuge in a safe room. Hours passed as messages from friends described the horrors unfolding outside.
“After two-and-a-half hours, friends started sending scary messages about hearing terrorists outside their houses and pleading for the army to arrive,” Engel told the Jewish News Syndicate (JNS). By midday, Hamas militants breached the Sharabi home.
“After six hours, we heard a large ‘boom’ coming from the entrance to the house. We heard terrorists roaming around inside while we were still all in the safe room,” Engel recalled.
Yuval’s father, Yossi Sharabi, tried in vain to hold the door closed. The terrorists forced their way in, killing the family’s dog before pointing their weapons at the group.
The terrorists marched the family outside, joining neighbors who were also held at gunpoint. “Smoke was everywhere, as was the smell of gunpowder,” Engel recounted. The captives were eventually transported to Gaza.
A Fractured Family
The harrowing journey into Gaza separated Engel from Yuval and most of her family. “Yuval and I were holding hands. At first, they put us both inside [a vehicle], but then they signaled to her to get out.
They put Amit Shani, the young son of the neighbor, inside instead,” Engel said. The last image he had of Yuval and her family was of them being guarded by armed militants. “I was sure they either had been kidnapped or were murdered that day.”
Upon arriving in Gaza, Engel and other hostages faced interrogations about their backgrounds, military service, and age.
Civilians were reportedly invited to observe and mock the captives. “We felt like animals at a zoo,” Engel said. Nights were fraught with fear, as armed guards loomed over them, yelling in Arabic.
For 26 days, Engel endured captivity in one house, subsisting on minimal food and water. Hostages were given two pieces of bread, canned meat, and a quarter bottle of water daily.
“Sometimes, we even played cards with the terrorists. But we never let them win. We didn’t want to make them feel like they were beating us at anything,” he said.
The Psychological Toll
Engel was later transferred to the home of a Hamas commander, where conditions deteriorated further. “He didn’t let us speak at all. He locked us inside a room and kept telling us we’d die in Gaza,” Engel recounted.
After 14 days, terrorists filmed two hostage videos, forcing Engel and others to claim they were being well-treated. Despite the terror, Engel held onto hope. When terrorists demanded the hostages write goodbye letters to their families, Engel resisted despair.
“We wrote in fear, went to sleep terrified, and realized the next morning that it wasn’t real—that they’d lied to us again. The fear kept growing, and with each passing day, there was less food.”
By day 53 of captivity, Engel and other hostages were moved again. It was during this transfer that Yossi Sharabi, Yuval’s father, was separated from the group.
“It was the last time I saw him; we didn’t even get to say goodbye,” Engel said. He described Yossi as a source of hope and strength, always reassuring others they would survive.
The Path to Freedom
Engel’s eventual release was marked by further psychological torment. Hostages were told repeatedly that Israel did not want them back.
On the day of their release, the captives were placed in a vehicle with two women in Islamic garb who, to Engel’s astonishment, spoke Hebrew.
“One of them whispered, ‘Do you speak English?’ I was in shock,” Engel said. The women, also hostages, instructed him to remain silent.
The group was brought to a house where conditions temporarily improved. Engel noted the sudden kindness of their captors, who provided food and drinks, likely to create the illusion of humane treatment.
“They wanted us to go back with good feelings and say we were treated well, but we weren’t,” Engel said.
The final hours before release were fraught with uncertainty. Hostages were delivered in pairs to Red Cross representatives near Gaza’s Rafah crossing with Egypt.
“There must have been 200 armed, masked terrorists around,” Engel recalled. From there, the group was transferred to Israel’s Kerem Shalom crossing, where Engel was reunited with Israeli personnel.
It was only after reaching safety that Engel learned Yuval and her family had survived. “I started crying like a 3-year-old because I’d been sure they were dead,” he said.
However, the relief was bittersweet. Yossi Sharabi’s death was confirmed months later, marking a tragic end to his role as a source of hope during captivity.
A Continuing Crisis
Engel’s story underscores the ongoing tragedy of the hostages held by Hamas. Over 100 individuals remain in captivity, with international efforts to broker a ceasefire and further releases stalled.
According to Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) estimates, at least 48 hostages have been killed in Gaza. Engel, now free, is haunted by the plight of those left behind. “Physically, I’m OK,” he said.
“Emotionally, I can’t do anything for myself because the fact that there are still hostages held in Gaza prevents me from starting to recover. If I were still a hostage, I would want everyone who returns to do everything they could to help me.”
Despite the horrors he endured, Engel emphasized the need for collective action to secure the return of all hostages. “This is almost the only opportunity Israel ever had to knock on the doors of those people and say that their loved ones have returned.”
A Nation Waits
As families of the remaining hostages await news, the broader Israeli public continues to grapple with the aftermath of October 7.
Eight hostages have been rescued by the IDF, and the remains of others have been recovered. The government has faced mounting pressure to secure the release of all hostages, amid ongoing military operations in Gaza.
For Engel, the journey home is just beginning. While reunited with his loved ones, his experiences serve as a powerful reminder of the resilience of the human spirit and the urgency of resolving the hostage crisis.
This article was created using automation technology and was thoroughly edited and fact-checked by one of our editorial staff members