Elie Sharabi surrendered on October 7, 2023, hoping to save his wife and daughters. After spending nearly 500 days in Gaza's tunnels, he emerged to find that they had been killed.
Sunken-eyed and exhausted from nearly 500 days of captivity in Gaza, Eli Sharabi stood at the podium surrounded by masked, armed Hamas men, unaware of what most Israelis already knew.
During the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023, a dozen gunmen stormed Mr. Sharabi’s home in the border community of Kibbutz Be’eri, where he was hiding in a safe room with his wife and two teenage daughters. Hoping to save them, he said he surrendered without a fight and was taken to Gaza.
After escaping from Hamas tunnels last month, he soon learned that his wife Lianna, 48, and his daughters Noya, 16, and Yahel, 13, had been shot dead that day in the family home, along with their dog, Mokka.
One of his brothers, Yossi, who was also kidnapped from Be'eri, died in Gaza after 100 days of captivity.
Mr. Sharabi and several other freed hostages were flying to the United States on Monday to meet with administration officials this week, including a potential audience with President Trump.
Mr. Sharabi’s mother and three remaining siblings rejoiced at his return on Feb. 8, part of a cease-fire that included an exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners. But they said they agonized over whether he knew his family’s fate or how they could break the news to him.
