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Freed Israeli Hostage Learns of Family's Death After Release from Gaza
Eli Sharabi, held captive by Hamas, discovers his wife and daughters were killed in the October 7 attack.
Israeli hostage Eli Sharabi, who was freed from Gaza on Saturday, was unaware that his wife and two daughters were killed in the October 7 Hamas attack until after his release, according to his British family.
Sharabi, who had been held captive for 16 months, was handed over to the Red Cross in Deir al-Balah, Gaza, as part of an internationally brokered ceasefire agreement.
His wife, Lianne Sharabi, originally from Bristol, and daughters, Noiya and Yahel, were found murdered in their safe house in 2023.
Lianne’s parents, Gill and Pete Brisley, told the BBC on Sunday that an Israeli soldier informed Sharabi about his family’s fate.
The couple, based in Bridgend, Wales, had been uncertain whether he was aware of their deaths.
Sharabi was among three hostages released on Saturday.
In an emotional moment during his release, he stated he was 'very happy today to return to my wife and daughters,' raising concerns that he had not yet been told of their deaths.
His in-laws later spoke to him via video call, describing him as 'lucid' but visibly weak.
They expressed relief at his return but heartbreak over their loss.
One of Sharabi’s brothers, Yossi, was also taken hostage on October 7 but was later killed in captivity.
Hamas claimed he died in an Israeli airstrike, a claim Israeli authorities stated was likely.
Another hostage freed on Saturday, Or Levy, learned upon his release that his wife had been killed by Hamas in the attack.
His brother, Michael Levy, said Or had clung to the hope of reuniting with her for 491 days, unaware she had died.
The releases are part of a ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel that took effect on January 19. As part of the agreement, Israel released 183 Palestinian prisoners on Saturday.
The deal stipulates the release of 33 hostages taken on October 7 in exchange for 1,900 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.
Since the ceasefire began, 16 Israeli hostages have been freed, while 566 Palestinian prisoners have been released.
On October 7, Hamas militants killed approximately 1,200 people and abducted 251 hostages in an attack on Israel, triggering the ongoing conflict.
According to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, at least 47,500 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli military operations.
The United Nations reports that around two-thirds of Gaza’s buildings have been damaged or destroyed in the offensive.
Sharabi, who had been held captive for 16 months, was handed over to the Red Cross in Deir al-Balah, Gaza, as part of an internationally brokered ceasefire agreement.
His wife, Lianne Sharabi, originally from Bristol, and daughters, Noiya and Yahel, were found murdered in their safe house in 2023.
Lianne’s parents, Gill and Pete Brisley, told the BBC on Sunday that an Israeli soldier informed Sharabi about his family’s fate.
The couple, based in Bridgend, Wales, had been uncertain whether he was aware of their deaths.
Sharabi was among three hostages released on Saturday.
In an emotional moment during his release, he stated he was 'very happy today to return to my wife and daughters,' raising concerns that he had not yet been told of their deaths.
His in-laws later spoke to him via video call, describing him as 'lucid' but visibly weak.
They expressed relief at his return but heartbreak over their loss.
One of Sharabi’s brothers, Yossi, was also taken hostage on October 7 but was later killed in captivity.
Hamas claimed he died in an Israeli airstrike, a claim Israeli authorities stated was likely.
Another hostage freed on Saturday, Or Levy, learned upon his release that his wife had been killed by Hamas in the attack.
His brother, Michael Levy, said Or had clung to the hope of reuniting with her for 491 days, unaware she had died.
The releases are part of a ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel that took effect on January 19. As part of the agreement, Israel released 183 Palestinian prisoners on Saturday.
The deal stipulates the release of 33 hostages taken on October 7 in exchange for 1,900 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.
Since the ceasefire began, 16 Israeli hostages have been freed, while 566 Palestinian prisoners have been released.
On October 7, Hamas militants killed approximately 1,200 people and abducted 251 hostages in an attack on Israel, triggering the ongoing conflict.
According to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, at least 47,500 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli military operations.
The United Nations reports that around two-thirds of Gaza’s buildings have been damaged or destroyed in the offensive.
