In brief
After 500 days in Hamas tunnels, Eli Sharabi learns that his wife and daughters were killed during the October 2023 attack.
Eli Sharabi, a man thin and hollow-eyed after nearly 500 days of captivity, stood back on Israeli soil on Feb. 8, 2025, as masked Hamas gunmen looked on from the shadows. He had surrendered during the brutal assault launched by Hamas on October 7, 2023, when his home in Kibbutz Be’eri was invaded by armed terrorists. Despite hiding with his family in a secure room, he faced a harrowing choice—to give himself up to the gunmen in hopes of saving his beloved wife, Lianne, and their two daughters, Noiya and Yahel.After an agonizing period beneath Gaza, filled with darkness and uncertainty, his release was celebrated as part of a ceasefire agreement, leading to hostage exchanges. Yet, upon his return, he learned the unimaginable: his family had perished in their home during the violent raid, along with their dog, Mocha. In an even more tragic twist, Eli's brother, Yossi, also kidnapped, died after enduring 100 grueling days in captivity.Eli's return to his family’s homestead, though met with the joy of his mother and surviving siblings, was overshadowed by overwhelming grief as they anticipated breaking the news of his family’s fate. His journey now takes him to the United States, where he will meet government officials, including a possible audience with President Trump, as his heart continues to ache for the loved ones he lost.
