Surviving 16 Months in Gaza Tunnels: Former Hostage Eli Sharabi's Memoir Highlights the Plight of Those Still Captive

Protesters stand with portraits of Israeli hostages during a demonstration in Israel last month.

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Eli Sharabi endured 16 months of captivity in squalid Gaza tunnels, his legs in chains, surviving on moldy pita bread. Two years after the Hamas attack that ignited the Gaza war, he worries that Alon Ohel, a fellow hostage he came to consider an adopted son, continues to suffer even worse conditions.

Despite Israel's military campaign against its regional adversaries and the widespread destruction in Gaza, the country has failed to secure the release of the remaining 48 hostages taken during the attack, with approximately 20 believed to still be alive. A new peace plan backed by the United States has sparked renewed hopes for their return.

Released in February, 53-year-old Sharabi only then discovered the devastating news that his wife and two teenage daughters had been killed in their home by Hamas-led militants on October 7, 2023. He maintains that closure remains impossible until all hostages return, including Alon Ohel and the remains of his older brother, Yossi.

Sharabi chronicled his captivity in "Hostage," published in Hebrew earlier this year. The English translation, the first memoir from a former Gaza hostage, releases on Tuesday, marking the war's anniversary.

In his account, Sharabi describes being predominantly held in dark tunnels infested with insects and rats. He and three fellow captives were permitted to wash only every few months, and at one point, an enraged guard beat him severely, breaking several ribs.

Their only glimpses of the outside world came during transfers through rubble-filled streets from one tunnel complex to another.

"The most difficult thing was, of course, the starvation," Sharabi revealed in an interview with The Associated Press. "It's something you can't really imagine, how hungry you can be."

As Gaza's humanitarian crisis worsened, hostages' meals decreased from two daily to just one—typically moldy pita bread. Sharabi observed that his captors "ate like kings," gleefully consuming humanitarian aid intended for civilians.

When freed, Sharabi weighed a mere 44 kilograms (97 pounds). US President Donald Trump remarked that he and the two other hostages released alongside him "looked like Holocaust survivors."

Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 people and abducted 251 during the October 7 attack. Most hostages have since been released through ceasefires or other agreements.

Israel's retaliatory campaign in Gaza has resulted in over 67,000 deaths, destroyed vast areas, displaced approximately 90 percent of the territory's 2 million residents, and created a humanitarian catastrophe, with experts declaring famine conditions in Gaza City.

Sharabi's final memory of his family was their expressions of pure terror as militants dragged him from their home in Kibbutz Be'eri. While captive, unaware of their deaths, he had planned to relocate his family far from the kibbutz, possibly to England, his wife's homeland. He has returned to the kibbutz just once, viewing only the exterior of his house.

He acknowledges that eventually entering his home will be necessary for his rehabilitation process—seeing the bloodstains, bullet-riddled walls, and shattered windows firsthand. However, he admits he isn't yet emotionally prepared for that step.

The kibbutz suffered devastating losses in the October 7 attack—the highest casualty rate of any community, with 106 residents killed and 30 abducted. Many homes were burned and shelled, including by Israeli forces during the chaotic response.

For the initial weeks of captivity, Sharabi was held in an apartment with a kidnapped Thai agricultural worker with whom communication was extremely limited. After a week-long ceasefire collapsed in November 2023, he was transferred to the tunnels, where he was held with three Israelis abducted from a music festival.

Being nearly twice the age of his fellow captives, Sharabi assumed a paternal role.

He helped them develop exercise routines to maintain mobility despite their leg chains. Daily, they attempted to share positive moments—extra food or the absence of particularly violent guards.

Though none were religious before October 7, they began praying together regularly in captivity. On Friday evenings, one would hold a cup of water and recite the traditional Sabbath blessing normally made over wine. These prayers often brought tears.

"You understand that every moment, they can kill you if they decide to do that, so you're trying to find the light and the special moments," he explained. "Surviving is building from lots of small victories."

Since his release, Sharabi has joined advocacy efforts for the remaining hostages. He published his book, met with Trump, and addressed the UN Security Council.

His intense activism is largely motivated by concerns for 24-year-old Alon Ohel, still held in Gaza as Israel conducts another major offensive.

In January, Hamas captors informed Sharabi and others that three would be released in that month's ceasefire agreement. When Ohel, a sensitive and talented pianist, realized he would remain behind, he suffered a panic attack, according to Sharabi.

"We thought it would be the happiest message that we will ever get, the day they let you know that you're going to be released, but because of Alon, it became very complicated," he recalled. "The day I left him was one of my toughest days in captivity."

Sharabi next saw Ohel in a hostage video released last month, appearing gaunt and pale.

Through his book's stark prose, Sharabi hopes to transport readers into the reality of the tunnels. He urges Israel's hawkish leaders and all individuals with power or influence to end the war and secure the hostages' release.

He wants Ohel to know that his loved ones are "fighting like lions" for his freedom.

"I'm sure you have the strength to stay alive in captivity and survive this hell," Sharabi says, addressing Ohel. "Then one day, you will be with us. And we will do everything we promised with each other."

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