Eli Sharabi, a freed Israeli hostage, did not know his wife, and he said that two teenage daughters had been killed in the attack on October 7th until after his release. The British family confirmed.
Israeli soldiers have broken news about what happened to his wife, Leanne, who grew up near Bristol, and his two children, Noya (16), and 13-year-old Yahel, who are both British and Israeli. For 183 Palestinian prisoners on Saturday.
Sharabi spent 491 days on prisoners, unaware that after an armed man entered the house and shot the family's dog, they locked Lianne and her children in a safe room and set them on fire. , Leanne's parents told the BBC.
Their bodies were later discovered as “everything was hugged together.”
Sharabi's brother Yossi was also taken hostage on October 7th. He died last year when Israeli forces bombed a Gaza building near where he was being held.
Shortly before he was handed over to the Red Cross on Saturday, Sharabi was escorted to the stage by masked Hamas fighters, where he said: . I really hope to meet them soon. ”
He appears to be in debilitating and is currently undergoing treatment for severe malnutrition at a hospital in Tel Aviv.
Lianne's parents, Gill and Pete Brisley, who live in Bridgend, Wales, have wrists like “cheeks,” “hollow eyes,” and “sticks,” but they have video calls. And when I spoke to him, it was clear.
“He choked a few times, but managed a small smile for us. Such a brave man,” the couple said.
They expressed joy and relief at his release, and after endured a “very emotional morning” watching his release on a live stream on Saturday, they were ready to jump out to meet him, They told the BBC. “When I saw Eli came out, it was all back. [We] Lianne's mother, Gil said.
“I sat with Leanne's teddy bear hugging me. I think I actually got him wet. It reminded us of what we had lost.”
Sharabi's brother-in-law, Stephen Brisley, told the Guardian on Saturday that he was feeling a “kaleidoscope of emotions” after Sharabi's release.
Brisley explained his joy and reliad in seeing Sharabi alive. He said this was “very relieved by the pain of seeing the nation that he is.”
“You can see the clothes hanging from him. You can see his face gone. The sparks and light have faded from his eyes. His cheeks sink. I'm here.
“We don't know about him except for the fact that he is alive, so it's a bittersweet day, except for exactly what he is physically and mentally,” Brisley said. I did. “But that's the moment we've been waiting for. I'm focusing on the joy of it while helping him recover, trying to leave another miserable element of it.”
The three hostages were released on Saturday as part of a three-phase agreement designed to mediate the permanent end of the war after 15 months of combat.
Around 1,200 Israelis were killed in the Hamas attack on October 7th, and another 250 were taken hostage. Approximately 47,000 Palestinians were estimated to have been killed in the battle.
