The first memoir written by an October 7th hostage will hit Western bookshelves on the second anniversary of Hamas’s devastating attack.
Eli Sharabi was at his home in Be’eri kibbutz with his British-born wife Lianne and their teenage daughters when Hamas stormed their community on October 7, 2023. The terrorists shot the family’s dog before dragging Eli and his brother Yossi away while forcing Lianne and their daughters into a safe room. In an act of unspeakable cruelty, they then set the room on fire.
When rescue teams finally reached Be’eri, they confirmed the worst: all three had been burned to death. Months later, the IDF would deliver more devastating news to the Sharabi family by confirming that brother Yossi had also been killed.
The 53-year-old did not know that his wife and daughters had been killed until after his release in February along with fellow hostages Or Levy, 34, and Ohad Ben Ami, 56, after 491 days in captivity.
Eli Sharabi’s book “Hostage” will be published on October 7th, 2025—exactly two years after Hamas launched its deadly attack against Israel that killed more than 1,200 innocent people and dragged over 250 into Gaza as captives.
“It was important to me that the story come out as quickly as possible, so that the world will understand what life is like inside captivity,” Sharabi said in a statement. “Once they do, they will not be able to remain indifferent. But I also want readers to know that even in the darkest of times, you can always seek out the light and choose humanity.”
Harper Influence, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, announced Tuesday that Sharabi’s memoir has already become a bestseller in Israel after its Hebrew release. The publishing company describes Sharabi’s account as written in “stark, unflinching prose, detailing the relationships the hostages formed with one another, including Alon Ohel, still a hostage in Gaza, with whom Sharabi formed an unbreakable father-son bond.”
Sharabi’s memoir also explores how his faith sustained him through brutal conditions such as abuse and starvation. His physical condition deteriorated so severely that he weighed less than 100 pounds after his release.
The sight of emaciated, traumatized, and physically broken hostages returning home has only deepened Israel’s collective anxiety about those left behind. Families of victims along with thousands of supporters gather at weekly rallies demanding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu strike whatever deal necessary to bring them home. Based on intelligence, the IDF has concluded that at least 27 of the 50 remaining hostages in Gaza are dead.
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