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On October 7th, 2023, Hamas terrorists stormed Kibbutz Be'eri, shattering the peaceful life Eli Sharabi had built with his British wife, Lianne, and their teenage daughters, Noiya and Yahel. Dragged barefoot out of his front door while his family watched in horror, Sharabi was plunged into the suffocating darkness of Gaza's tunnels, where he endured 491 days in captivity. As war raged above him, Sharabi held onto the hope that he would be reunited with his loved ones.
In the first memoir by a released Israeli hostage, and the fastest-selling book in Israel's history, Sharabi offers a searing firsthand account of survival under unimaginable conditions - starvation, isolation, physical beatings, and psychological abuse at the hands of his captors.
Eli Sharabi's story is one of hunger and heartache, of physical pain, longing, loneliness and a helplessness that threatens to destroy the soul. But it is also a story of strength, of resilience, and of the human spirit's refusal to surrender. It is about the camaraderie forged in captivity, the quiet power of faith, and one man's unrelenting decision to choose life, time and time again.
Reminiscent of Elie Wiesel's
Night,
Hostage is a profound witness to history, so that it shall be neither forgotten nor erased.
About the author
Eli Sharabi is a former hostage who survived 491 days in Hamas captivity following his abduction from Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7, 2023. Sharabi has since become a global advocate for the remaining hostages, meeting with world leaders like US President Donald Trump, speaking at the United Nations, and sharing his story with audiences around the world. His memoir, Hostage, the first published account by a released Israeli hostage, became an instant number one bestseller in Hebrew, and the fastest selling book in Israeli history.
Born in Tel Aviv to Yemenite and Moroccan parents, Sharabi moved to Be’eri as a teenager and later married Lianne, a British woman with whom he shared two daughters, Noiya and Yahel, aged sixteen and thirteen. A longtime resident of Be’eri, Sharabi served as the Kibbutz’s business manager, as well as the Chief Financial Officer of the Kibbutz, Be’eri Printing, and other private companies in Israel. Sharabi continues to work tirelessly as a leader in the campaign for the release of captives.
Summary
The unflinching first memoir by an Israeli hostage.
