Israeli hostage Eli Sharabi, whose wife Leanne and their two daughters Noya and Yahel were murdered on October 7, is among the 33 living and dead hostages slated to be released in the first phase of the deal.
Sharabi’s brother Yossi was also taken hostage, and an IDF probe found he was possibly killed in Hamas captivity, likely by an IAF airstrike in January 2024. Yossi had a wife, Nira, and three daughters: Yuval, Ofir, and Oren, all of whom survived.
Ofir Sharabi, the daughter of Yossi and niece of Eli, spoke at a demonstration at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv on Saturday night.
“My father was kidnapped before my eyes,” she said. “He was murdered after surviving almost 100 days in terrible conditions in captivity. My uncle was also kidnapped. His wife, my aunt Liane, and my cousins Yahel and Noya were murdered in their home. My cousin Idan and his girlfriend Eden were also murdered at the Nova festival.”
"I'm 15. The amount of loss inside me doesn't match my age. I've lost people I love so much,” she added. “I've lost a home. I've lost trust in the world. If this agreement had happened on time, my father would have come back to us and hugged us. But it's happening so late. The only way I can close this circle is for them to bring Dad back, and we can sit by his grave, crying together. Until then, I'm stuck. A 15-year-old sitting in class, but my thoughts are in Gaza."
Hostage families urge Prime Minister to start negotiating for second and third stages
Sharon Sharabi, the brother of Eli and Yossi, recently told The Jerusalem Post he envisions the moment when Eli comes home, and he imagines “the moment when my 76-year-old mother gets Eli back, to hug him.”
Yossi is not on the list to be released in the first stage, and Sharon said hostage families have asked Netanyahu not to wait for the 16th day to begin negotiating for the second and third stages.
Gadi Zaig and Eve Young contributed to this report.