Time magazine has selected “Hostage”, the memoir by released Israeli hostage Eli Sharabi, as one of the 100 “must-read” books published in the past year.
Sharabi, a member of Kibbutz Be’eri, was abducted by Hamas during the October 7, 2023 massacre and held captive for 491 days in tunnels beneath Gaza. His wife Lianne and daughters Noiya and Yahel were murdered in their safe room during the attack. Sharabi was unaware of their deaths until after his release. His brother Yossi was also kidnapped and later died in captivity.
“In his best-selling memoir, Eli Sharabi… depicts his captivity in searing detail, from the dawn raid in which he was separated from his wife and daughters to his excruciating ordeal in the tunnels beneath Gaza,” wrote Hamilton Cain in Time’s review.
Cain added, “He writes of befriending a few fellow hostages and devising a plan to survive on ‘a siniyah between us per meal: a tray with a little rice, meat, or ful beans… a pita and a half to scoop out of the tray.’”
The review also noted that “when a negotiated deal led to his freedom, Sharabi emerged into a world forever shattered and learned that his family had been killed in the attack. In this first memoir of captivity in Gaza following October 7, Sharabi offers a raw, intimate perspective on one of the most divisive conflicts in modern history.”
Sharabi’s memoir reached fourth place on The New York Times bestseller list last month and was featured on the cover of Time magazine. It is the first published account of captivity in Gaza following the October 7 atrocities.
Sharabi last month sent an English copy of his book to US President Donald Trump.
In the book, the former hostage left a note for the President, reading: "Dear President Trump, Thank you for securing my release. I am forever and eternally grateful. Your actions have given me back my freedom, my life."