‘My name is Eli Sharabi, I’ve come back from hell’ – released Israeli hostage shares his experience with UN Security Council

Former Israeli hostage Eli Sharabi testified before the UN Security Council on Thursday, recounting his traumatic experiences and describing life after his return from the horrors of Hamas captivity.

Speaking at the invitation of the Security Council Presidency, currently held by Denmark, Sharabi addressed the council plainly in English.

“My name is Eli Sharabi. I am 53 years old. I've come back from hell. I've returned to tell my story,” Sharabi began. 

“I used to live in Kibbutz Be'eri with my British-born wife, Leanne, and my daughters, Noya and Yael. It was a beautiful community. We were all passionate about creating the best life for our children and for our neighbors.” 

“On October 7, my heaven turned to hell. Sirens began. Hamas terrorists invaded, and I was ripped away from my family, never to see them again,” he told the silent council. 

Sharabi described how the terrorists stormed the community and entered their home, killing their dog when it barked at them.

“The terrorist infiltrated our community. The terrorist broke down our door. The dog barked and the terrorist opened fire. My wife and I threw ourselves over our daughters, screaming for them to stop. They dragged me away as I called out to my girls, "I will be back." I had to believe that. I didn't know I should have said goodbye forever.” 

He described his anguish at seeing the terrorists killing his neighbors. 

“Outside was like a war zone. My peaceful home, my slice of heaven, was gone,” he related. “I saw over 100 terrorists filming themselves, celebrating, laughing, partying in our gardens as they massacred my friends and neighbors.”

Eli Sharabi’s full speech pic.twitter.com/ZxPu7uD3kC

— Sharona Mazalian (@SharonaMazalian) March 20, 2025

Sharabi also challenged the narrative that innocent civilians were uninvolved in the atrocities committed on Oct. 7, 2023, when the Hamas terrorist organization invaded Israel.

“When we arrived in Gaza, a mob of civilians tried to lynch me,” he recounted. “They pulled me from the car, but the terrorists rushed me away into a mosque. I was their trophy.” 

Later in his testimony, highlighted the involvement of Gaza civilians in the treatment of hostages.

“Four hundred and ninety-one days. That is how long I starved. How long I was chained. How long I begged for humanity. And in all that time, no one came. And no one in Gaza helped me. No one. The civilians in Gaza saw us suffering. They cheered our kidnappers. They were definitely involved,” he explained. 

Sharabi described being held in a civilian apartment for the first 52 days of his captivity, where he was “tied up with ropes. My arms and legs were tied so tightly, the ropes tore into my flesh.” 

He was given little food and water, and the pain of the ropes prevented him from sleeping at night. But his nightmare was only beginning. 

“Then, on November 27, 2023, Hamas took me into a tunnel, 50 meters underground,” he recalled. “Again, the chains were so tight, they ripped my skin. They never took them off, not for a single moment. Those chains tore at me until the day I was released.” 

Besides the chains and inability to move, Sharabi and other captives with him received very little food. 

“I cannot begin to describe the agony. It was hell. I was fed a piece of pita a day, maybe a sip of tea. Hunger consumed everything. They beat me. They broke my ribs. I didn't care. I just wanted a piece of bread.” 

Sharabi described losing track of time because of the brutal treatment. 

“For months we lived like this. I stopped counting the days. Living as a hostage, you don't know how the day will begin, nor how it will end. Whether you live or die. At any moment, they could beat you. At any moment, they could kill you.” 

Beyond the physical abuse, was the psychological torture. 

“Psychological terror was constant. Every day they told us, 'The world has abandoned you. No one is coming.'” 

Sharabi recounted meeting fellow hostage Alon Ohel, who is still in being held by Hamas in Gaza.

“By the time I met Alon Ohel, who is now 24 years old, we had already endured terrible captivity,” Sharabi said. “We relied on each other for survival. Alon is a very talented pianist, and I remember how he would pretend to play the piano on his body to keep himself sane.” 

Holding up a picture of Alon used in the hostage protests, Sharabi remarked, “He doesn't look any more like that.” 

“When I was released, he grabbed onto me, terrified to be left behind,” Sharabi added. “He told me he was happy for me. I promised him it was just a matter of days before he would be home too. I was wrong.” 

He shared how Hamas did not stop the psychological abuse, even when he was about to be released. 

“Just before my release, Hamas took pleasure in showing me a picture of my brother Yossi,” he shared. “They told me he was dead. It was like they had brought a massive hammer down on me. I refused to believe it. My brother Yossi was all heart. Those with him in captivity told me that he gave his food to others.” 

Sharabi told the UNSC that he was not aware that his wife and daughters had been killed until after he was released.

“I stood at that sick Hamas ceremony, surrounded by terrorists and a crowd of so-called uninvolved civilians, hoping my wife and daughters were waiting for me.” 

Sharabi criticized the Red Cross, which has not visited the hostages at any point throughout the 17 months of the war in Gaza.

“At the handover, I met a representative from the Red Cross. She told me, don't worry, you are safe now. Safe? How could I feel safe surrounded by terrorist monsters? Where had the Red Cross been for the past 491 days?” 

But the greatest shock was discovering that he alone had survived from his family.

“Then I arrived home. They told me my mother and sister were waiting for me. I said, 'Get me my wife and daughters.' And that was when I knew. They were gone. They had been murdered.” 

Addressing the UN body, Sharabi asked why no one helped the hostages. 

“I'm here before you now to give my testimony and to ask: Where was the United Nations? Where was the Red Cross? Where was the world?” 

Sharabi also testified that Hamas stole the humanitarian aid intended to be distributed to the civilians in Gaza.

“I know that you discuss the humanitarian situation in Gaza very often, but let me tell you, as an eyewitness, I saw what happened to that aid. Hamas stole it.” 

"Where was the United Nations? Where was the Red Cross? Where was the world?"

At the UN Security Council in NY, former Hamas hostage Eli Sharabi speaks about surviving 491 days in captivity. Alone and starving, he witnessed firsthand Hamas terrorists stealing aid.

The world… pic.twitter.com/cPU0th2FyF

— Israel in New York (@IsraelinNewYork) March 20, 2025

"I saw Hamas terrorists carrying boxes with the UN and UNRWA emblems on them into the tunnel, and dozens of boxes paid by your government, feeding terrorists who tortured me and murdered my family,” Sharabi said, scolding the council. “When you speak of humanitarian aid, remember this: Hamas eats like kings while hostages starve.” 

“My name is Eli Sharabi. I am not a diplomat. I am a survivor,” he concluded. “Bring them all home. Now.” 

Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon echoed Sharabi's outrage and condemned the silence of the international community.

"Since October 7, this chamber has passed 77 resolutions, none of which condemned Hamas," Danon added, rebuking the council. 

Eli Sharabi just concluded his harrowing testimony before the UN Security Council. Words cannot fully capture the shock and horror that gripped Council members as they listened to his account of Hamas’s brutality and barbarism.

Eli revealed how Hamas stole humanitarian aid,… pic.twitter.com/l7PC8Dgp0j

— Danny Danon 🇮🇱 דני דנון (@dannydanon) March 20, 2025