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Eli Sharabi, 53, who was held hostage by Hamas in Gaza for 491 days before being released in the most recent hostage deal, addressed the United Nations Security Council on Thursday, delivering a harrowing account of his captivity.
“I have come back from hell,” Sharabi said. “I was kept underground, starved, beaten and chained like an animal. For 491 days, I begged for food, begged to use the bathroom—begging became my existence.”
Sharabi, a resident of Kibbutz Be’eri, was abducted on October 7, 2023, when Hamas terrorists stormed his home, murdered his wife, Lianne, and their daughters, Noiya and Yahel, and dragged him to Gaza.
“The last thing I told them was, ‘I will be back.’ I had to believe that,” he recounted. “But I did not know I should have said goodbye forever.”
Held deep inside Hamas tunnels, he lost over 30 kilograms and suffered repeated beatings. “I was given one piece of pita a day, maybe a sip of tea. We had to beg for food. Sometimes, if we begged enough, we would get something extra. We had to choose—an extra piece of pita or a cup of tea.”
Sharabi’s brother, Yossi, was also taken hostage but later died in captivity. His body remains in Gaza. “Hamas took pleasure in showing me his picture,” he said. “It was like they had brought a hammer down on me.”
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He also recalled how Hamas terrorists feasted on stolen humanitarian aid while hostages starved. “I saw Hamas terrorists carrying boxes with UN and UNRWA emblems into the tunnels. They ate like kings while we wasted away.”
Sharabi, recently freed in a hostage deal, has since met with world leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, urging them to act. “I told them both: Bring them all home.”
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Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon
(Photo: Michael M. Santiago / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP)
Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon condemned the international community’s silence. “Since October 7, this chamber has passed 77 resolutions—none condemning Hamas,” Danon said. “You speak of human rights but ignore the most horrific abuse of this war. The UN’s inaction on the hostages is a moral collapse of the highest order.”
Sharabi’s testimony comes as pressure mounts for the release of the remaining 59 hostages. “No more excuses, no more delays,” he told the Security Council. “If you stand for humanity—prove it. Bring them home.”