By: Eli Sharabi / The Washington Post
Translation: Telegrafi.com
On October 7, 2023, terrorists broke into my home in Kibbutz Be'eri. My wife, Lianne, and our daughters Noiya and Yahel hid in the security room while the armed men burned and killed throughout the kibbutz. After I was captured, they tied me up and dragged me towards Gaza. My first experience was not only with Hamas fighters, but also with a confused crowd of civilians - men, women, children - who were fighting to tear me apart. The Hamas terrorists had to push the crowd back. I did not know that my wife and daughters had been killed. During the 491 days in captivity, I had held out hope that they were still alive - a hope that was only dashed after my release.
Now, as the second anniversary of the October 7 atrocities approaches, the possibility is growing that the last remaining hostages will finally be released - including the body of my brother Yossi, who was killed during captivity.
My first days as a hostage were spent in the basement of a wealthy Gazan family's house. The father, who had worked in construction in Israel, spoke fluent English and even a little Hebrew. Life went on as normal for the family upstairs - meals, lessons, prayers - while I stood below, my shoulders aching terribly from the tight ropes that held me bound.
During the 51 days I was held in this family's home, I got to know the guards who guarded me better. As the days passed, they talked more, I listened more, and I learned about their lives. They told me about their families and their jobs. One was a police officer with eight children. Another ran a kiosk selling falafel.
I speak Arabic and understood very well when the terrorists discussed their ideology. One insisted that all the territory belonged to the Palestinians and that the Jews should return to Morocco or Yemen. Another was more political, repeatedly repeating Hamas dogmas about the non-existence of the state of Israel. But it was clear that for some of them, joining Hamas was more about economic gain than ideology. Hamas had money, power, and status, and some had joined simply to gain these things for themselves.
However, it became clear to me that the willingness to torture and kill stems from something deeper. The killers who entered my home and massacred my wife and daughters were driven by a blind hatred that seemed to take precedence over every other motive - even life itself.
On the 52nd day of my captivity - November 27, 2023 - I was transferred to a tunnel with six other Israeli hostages, where conditions immediately deteriorated. Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Almog Sarusi, and Ori Danino were then separated from the rest of us, and I never saw them again. Alon Ohel, Or Levy, Elia Cohen, and I were left (Alon remains a hostage, eight months after my release). Hunger and disease were common. The stench from the sewage was unbearable, and worms were everywhere.
Our captors also became more cruel. They released the footage of October 7th in a iPad; we could hear them from the next room. The scenes of killing and torture seemed to excite them. Our feet were constantly chained (sometimes to each other) and we were beaten and humiliated regularly. This lasted until the last week before our release.
I was finally released along with Levy and Ohad Ben Amin. The whole event turned into a giant public spectacle, with a carnival-like atmosphere intended to humiliate us. Crowds of men, women, and children from Gaza cheered enthusiastically, shouting “Allahu akbar!” as they marched us across the stage, forced to repeat statements against our country. They forced me to say that I couldn’t wait to be reunited with my wife and daughters.
As the Trump administration struggles to finalize a comprehensive peace deal, I think of the Israelis still being held hostage by Hamas and I hope with all my heart that they will be released soon. But it is important for the world to understand that lasting peace can only come if the murderous ideology we saw in Hamas and those associated with it is defeated. Real change will require a complete rejection of a culture that worships death and an awakening to the desire to embrace and enjoy life.
I am lucky to be alive and I appreciate that fact every day. And, somehow, I will rebuild my life. I hope we can all achieve this. /Telegraph/
(Eli Sharabi was taken hostage by Hamas and released on February 8. He is the author of the book Peng)
