An Israeli hostage freed from Gaza only learned of his wife and daughters’ deaths in the October 7 attack after his release on Saturday, according to his British family.
Eli Sharabi was taken hostage by Hamas 16 months ago and was released in Deir al-Balah, Gaza, on Saturday.
His wife, Lianne Sharabi, originally from Bristol, and their daughters, Noiya and Yahel, were found murdered in 2023, huddled together in their safe house.
Lianne’s parents, Gill and Pete Brisley, told on Sunday that an Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) soldier broke the devastating news to Mr. Sharabi.
His family had been uncertain whether he was aware that Lianne, Noiya, and Yahel—who were Mr. and Mrs. Brisley’s daughter and granddaughters—had been killed in the October 7 attack.
Mr. Sharabi was among three hostages handed over to the Red Cross by Hamas in a staged release on Saturday as part of an internationally brokered ceasefire agreement.
Speaking on stage during his release, he expressed happiness, saying he was “very happy today to return to… my wife and daughters,” raising concerns that he was unaware of their fate.
Later, in a video call with Mr. and Mrs. Brisley, Mr. Sharabi appeared “lucid,” though his voice was “a bit husky,” they said.
“He got choked up a couple of times but managed a small smile for us. Such a brave man,” the couple said, adding that they plan to fly out to see him soon.
Mr. and Mrs. Brisley, who live in Bridgend, South Wales, said they were overcome with emotion as they watched their son-in-law’s release via a livestream.
They noted that Mr. Sharabi’s face looked “gaunt.”
Mr. Brisley described the moment as “a very emotional morning,” saying, “When we saw Eli, it was shocking to see the emaciated state they put him in.”
“Eli normally has a chubby face, but in the footage, his eyes were hollow, his cheeks sunken, and his wrists were like sticks,” he added.
Mrs. Brisley shared how deeply the moment affected her:
“Seeing Eli come out now, it brought everything back. [We] sat and bawled our eyes out. I was sitting there cuddling Lianne’s teddy bear. I think I made him wet actually. It reminded us of what we lost.”
“The only thing that keeps us going is knowing Eli is back. At least one member of our very close family is still alive,” Mrs. Brisley said.
Israeli Hostage Eli Sharabi“[We’re] grateful to him for our two beautiful granddaughters. We didn’t have them for long enough. Now, we need to focus on remembering the happy times.
“So we live in our memories, that’s all we can do—think about them, talk about them, and make sure nobody forgets them.”
Mr. Brisley added, “We hope to be a part of getting him back to some sort of normal.”
Lianne grew up in Staple Hill, near Bristol, and moved to Israel at 19 as a volunteer on a kibbutz before settling there permanently.
Three months after arriving in Israel, she met Eli. They later had two daughters, Noiya and Yahel, who were 16 and 13 when they were killed.
Eli’s brother, Yossi, was also taken hostage on October 7 but was later killed in captivity. Hamas claimed he died in an Israeli airstrike, which Israel said was a possibility.
Another hostage released on Saturday, Or Levy, also only learned upon his release that his wife had been killed by Hamas during the attack, his brother said.
Michael Levy told reporters, “For 491 days, he [Or] held on to the hope that he would return to her. For 491 days, he didn’t know she was no longer alive.”
He added, “He is alive, he is here, but our happiness is mixed with immense sadness—a pain that cannot be described.”
The release of the three hostages was part of the ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel, which took effect on January 19.
On Saturday, Israel released 183 Palestinian prisoners as part of the agreement. Under the ceasefire terms, 33 hostages taken on October 7 will be released in weekly exchanges for 1,900 Palestinian prisoners.
So far, 16 Israeli hostages have been freed, and 566 Palestinian prisoners have been released since the ceasefire began.
On October 7, Hamas took 251 hostages and killed approximately 1,200 people during its attack on Israel, triggering the war.
Since then, Israel’s offensive has resulted in the deaths of at least 47,500 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza.
The United Nations reports that about two-thirds of Gaza’s buildings have been damaged or destroyed by Israeli strikes.