Eli Sharabi, a survivor of Hamas captivity who was released after being held for more than a year and four months, appeared on Ilana Dayan’s show Uvda and shared disturbing details from his ordeal. Despite not having been religious before, Sharabi revealed that in his darkest moments, he found faith. “I am not a religious man, but there, from the moment I was abducted, every morning I recited ‘Shema Yisrael,’ something I never did in my life,” Sharabi said with emotion. “The power of faith is crazy. I felt I had someone watching over me.”
In the interview, Sharabi offered a glimpse into the immense suffering he endured during his 16 months in captivity. He recounted how, while in Gaza’s tunnels, he came across the body of fellow hostage Ohad Yahalomi, who was alive but in critical condition at the time. Yahalomi’s body was returned to Israel early on Thursday morning.
Sharabi also described the psychological torment he experienced, particularly in the moments leading up to his release. His captors informed him that he would soon be reunited with his wife and daughters in Israel, although they had been murdered on October 7th. He learned of their deaths only after reaching Israeli forces, who shared the heartbreaking news with him.
During his captivity, Sharabi endured almost 500 days of unimaginable hardship. He lost his daughters, Yaheli and Noya, and his wife, Lian, in the October 7th attacks. He was taken from Kibbutz Be’eri, near his brother Yossi, who was also murdered during the same assault.
{Matzav.com}