Free Israel did not know that they were dead

After 491 days in Hamas captivity, Eli Sharabi was finally freed on Saturday morning, but his return to Israel came with an unimaginable heartache. He had no knowledge that his wife and two daughters were killed during the Hamas attack in 2023 of October 7th.

Mr. Sharabi was shot and said: “I am very happy today to return to my wife and daughters. In her house in Kibbutz Be’eri. When he was liberated, he was also informed that his brother Yossi Sharabi had died in captivity – His body was still kept in Gaza.

Eli Sharabi was one of the three hostages that Hamas freed from Hamas as part of the recent prisoner exchange contract, in which Israel was published 183 Palestinian prisoners as part of an internationally mediated ceasefire agreement. The other two hostages, Ohad Ben Ami and or Levy, were handed over to the Red Cross before they had reunited with their families in Israel.

The family of Mr. Sharabi, based in Great Britain in Great Britain, described her shock about his lean and frail appearance when he was released.

His brother Sharon, who fought tirelessly for his release, said to The Jerusalem Post: “Eli is the last remnant of the Sharabi family, who still lives in the captivity of Gaza. We have lost four family members. Five is missing around the Shabbat table Four of them will never be back.

The brother -in -law of Mr. Sharabi, Steve Brisley, told the BBC that his “overhanging” appearance was deeply worrying. “It is incredibly difficult to see him so thin and hager. But what really did for me at home was the light that came from his eyes.”

At the same time, Palestinian prisoners in Ramallah and in other parts of the occupied West Bank were greeted at home. Representatives stated that they needed medical care, although no details were given.

Regardless of this, former Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant confirmed on Saturday that he had approved the controversial Hannibal Directive during the attack on October 7. The military protocol enables the use of violence – even from the risk of killing hostages – to prevent them from being captured by enemy armed forces. Since then, the military operations of Israel in Gaza have killed at least 47,000 Palestinians, some estimates over 2 Lakh.

Since the beginning of the ceasefire contract on January 19, a total of 21 hostages and 566 Palestinian prisoners have been released. By the end of the first phase of the ceasefire, a total of 33 hostages and 1,900 prisoners have been freed.