President Donald Trump watched parts of an interview with captivity survivor Eli Sharabi that was aired on the “Uvda” program and, after viewing it, extended an invitation to Sharabi and other survivors to visit the White House. This information was shared by Sharon Sharabi, Eli’s brother, during an interview with Keshet 12 this morning.
Eli Sharabi and the other survivors are scheduled to fly to Washington tomorrow for the planned meeting, which will take place on Tuesday.
In the interview, Sharabi shared harrowing details of his time in captivity, including a personal revelation about his faith. Although he was never particularly religious, it was during his darkest moments that he discovered the power of belief.
“I’m not a religious person, but from the moment I was kidnapped, I said ‘Shema Yisrael’ every morning, something I’ve never done in my life,” Sharabi said with deep emotion. “The power of faith is crazy. I felt that there was someone watching over me.”
Sharabi continued, speaking about the rituals he began observing during his captivity. “I make Kiddush for myself and said Friday night prayers for my mother, my sisters, my wife, and my daughters,” he added, his voice breaking.
When asked by the interviewer, “Is God in the tunnel?” Sharabi responded, “There’s something watching over you in the tunnel and you find a lot of comfort there.”
Sharabi also recounted some of the extreme suffering he faced over the course of his sixteen-month captivity. One particularly distressing moment came when he saw Ohad Yahalomi in the tunnels, alive but gravely injured. Ohad’s body was later returned to Israel.
In addition, Sharabi spoke about the psychological torment inflicted by Hamas throughout his time in captivity. This included a particularly cruel moment when his captors told him he would be reunited with his wife and two daughters at Re’im, unaware that they had been murdered on October 7th.
It was only when Sharabi was transferred to IDF forces that he learned the heartbreaking truth. Eli Sharabi endured almost 500 days in Hamas captivity. His daughters, Yali and Noya, and his wife, Lian, were murdered on October 7th. Sharabi was kidnapped from Kibbutz Be’eri, alongside his late brother Yossi, who also lost his life.
{Matzav.com Israel}