Freed Israeli hostage Eli Sharabi’s British family ‘very emotional’
The British family of the Israeli hostages was released from Gaza on Saturday, describing the “emotional swing” he was released 16 months after his arrest.
Steve Brisley, brother-in-law of Eli Sharabi, who lives in Bridgend, Wales, was happy about his release, but was about Sharabi’s appearance and whether he knew his wife and daughter died in the October 7 attack.
Sharabi, 52, was taken away from Kibbutz Beeri by Hamas on October 7, while his British-born wife Lianne and two Teenage daughters Noiya and Yahel are found murdered in their home.
He is one of three hostages who handed Hamas over to the Red Cross in the release arranged by Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza.
Mr. Brisley told the BBC that he was going through “the whole swing of emotions – joy and relief to heartache and everything in between”.
“There is finally a confirmation that he is still alive and he is coming out, which is obviously something we have been working on for the past 15,16 months, but it’s very difficult to see him march in such a way of publicity,” Mr. Brisley said. Mr. Sharabi told the BBC breakfast just minutes after being released to the Red Cross.
“Seeing his physical condition – on the one hand he was upright, at least walking independently, but he was clumsy and thin, just disappeared from his eyes.
“We never knew whether he was still alive or dead,” he said.
Brisley said Mr Sarabee’s name was the first to confirm he was alive since the 2023 attack on Saturday.
Sharabi’s father-in-law, Pete Brisley, also lives in Bridgend, said there was no witness attack on Sharabi’s residence, meaning the family didn’t know Did he know that his family was dead?
He told BBC’s Lucy Manning: “We still don’t know if he knew he had lost his family, his wife and daughter because no one knew if he saw them murdered or brought in. Go outside.”
“It’s just very, very exciting,” he said.
Lianne Sharabi is the daughter of Pete Brisley, the sister of Steve Brisley, and Noiya and Yahel are their granddaughters and niece respectively.
“We’re going to find some time in the next few hours as his mom and his sister are waiting for him to say hello in the hospital,” Pete Brisley said.
“I think his first question is, where are they?
“If he does see them murdered, he has to get along with it for the past 15, 16 months.”
Mr. Sharabi, as well as the taxation and the release of ohad ben ami, is a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel, which came into effect on January 19.
The deal believes that on October 7, 33 hostages were released every week in exchange for 1,900 Palestinians in Israeli prisons.
Israel will release 183 Palestinian prisoners on Saturday. More than 70 people served their sentences or long-term sentences; others were detained during the war.
On October 7, Hamas took 251 hostages and killed about 1,200 people in the attack on Israel, triggering a war.
According to Gaza Hamas-ruling Ministry of Health, at least 47,500 Palestinians were killed in Israeli offensives.
The United Nations said about two-thirds of Gaza’s buildings have been damaged or destroyed by Israeli attacks.
