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Tel Aviv, Israel – Eli Sharabi, an Israeli hostage who spent 491 days in captivity under Hamas, has spoken out about the grueling conditions he endured and the near impossibility of military rescue operations in the group’s fortified tunnels.
In an interview with Channel 12’s Uvda program on Thursday evening, Sharabi detailed his ordeal, including his separation from his family, the loss of his loved ones, and the brutal treatment he suffered while underground.
Sharabi, who was kidnapped from Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7, 2023, was reunited with his family upon his release from Gaza on February 8, 2025. However, his return was marked by devastating news—his wife Leanne and their daughters, Noya and Yahel, were murdered on the day of the attack.
“The Scene Was Horrific”
Recalling the moment of his abduction, Sharabi described the terrifying experience of having Hamas gunmen storm his home.
“Ten terrorists in the house—two grab me, two grab the girls and stand with them in the kitchen. All the while, Leanne kept telling them, ‘British passport,’ thinking it would protect them,” he recounted.
Realizing he was being taken, Sharabi called out to his daughters, “I will come back!” before being forcibly removed. That was the last time he saw his family.
A Brutal Captivity
Sharabi revealed that his first 52 days as a hostage were spent in an apartment before being moved into Hamas’s vast tunnel network, where he remained for over a year. He described the underground conditions as inhumane, with extreme deprivation and constant restraints.
“You’re 50 meters underground. The sanitary conditions are simply terrible. You shower once a month with half a bucket of cold water. The chains on my legs never left me from the day I arrived in Gaza until the last day,” he said.
Throughout his captivity, Sharabi was subjected to severe malnutrition, surviving on a daily ration of a small bowl of pasta, amounting to just 250-300 calories.
“The idea that a free person can just take fruit or drink water—that’s what you dream about every day,” he recalled. “You don’t care about the beatings, even when they break your ribs. I didn’t care—just give me half a pita.”
Witnessing the Fate of Fellow Hostages
Sharabi spoke about meeting fellow Israeli hostages, including Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Ori Danino, and Almog Sarusi. He quickly bonded with them, only for them to be taken away a few days later.
“I assumed they were being released,” he said. It was only after his own release that he learned they had been murdered in August.
He also learned of the fate of his brother Yossi, who was also kidnapped from Kibbutz Be’eri. Two days before his release, a Hamas commander showed him a picture of Yossi and claimed he had been killed by Israeli airstrikes. It was only later that another hostage confirmed the tragic news.
Hamas’s Response to Israeli Leadership
Sharabi noted how Hamas closely monitored Israeli political statements, often using them to justify mistreatment of captives.
“You could tell what was happening in the news just by their behavior,” he said. “They would come to us and say, ‘Your government isn’t feeding our prisoners, so you won’t eat either. They beat our prisoners, so we will beat you. They don’t let them shower, so you won’t get a shower.’”
“I’m Lucky”
Despite his suffering, Sharabi maintains a remarkable perspective on his survival.
“I’m not angry. I’m lucky. Lucky that I had Leanne for 30 years. Lucky that I had those amazing daughters for so many years. Lucky that they didn’t kill me. Lucky that after 16 months, I was able to come back to my family,” he said.
His account sheds further light on the immense challenges hostages faced in captivity and underscores the dangers posed by Hamas’s sophisticated tunnel infrastructure.