Freed hostage Eli Sharabi visited Tel Aviv University on Friday, where he launched his new book and spoke publicly about his time in Hamas captivity in Gaza.
“On nights when we were starving, the captors tried to bribe us,” Sharabi revealed. “After many days of receiving only one meal a day, they offered us food — but only on the condition that we read verses from the Quran. We refused.”
He further disclosed chilling details about the October 7 massacre: “On October 7, the Hamas commander in Gaza gave an order over the radio instructing terrorists not to bring women and children as hostages — because they had no more vehicles to transport them. Instead, they were told to murder them on the spot and to kidnap only men up to the age of 40.”
Sharabi spoke with emotion about his resolve during captivity: “I am proud of choosing life. Proud that I remained human even in captivity. When I left my wife and daughters, I knew I would be kidnapped — but I also knew I would return. I didn’t say a proper goodbye. I asked myself why I was taken and not them. Then I understood: the terrorists had been ordered at that moment to take only men.”