The family of released hostage Eli Sharabi have said they are “delighted” he is finally free but horrified at his physical condition and the “grotesque spectacle” of his release.
The television images of Mr Sharabi, flanked by Hamas gunmen and looking frail as he stood on a stage during the hostage exchange, on Saturday were the first time in 16 months his Bristol-based family were sure he was alive.
Mr Sharabi, 52, and fellow captives Ohad Ben Ami, 56, and Or Levy, 34, appeared thin as they were paraded by Hamas gunmen on to a stage in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza.
A statement from the Sharabi and Brisley families and their lawyers said: “We and our clients, the Sharabi and Brisley families, are delighted that after 16 months in captivity, Eli Sharabi has today, Saturday, 8 February 2025, been released from being held as a hostage in Gaza by the Hamas terrorist organisation.
“We were saddened but unfortunately not surprised at Eli, Ohad and Or’s physical condition and the grotesque spectacle of their release, which should be a wake-up call, if one were needed, to ensure the speedy return of all of the other hostages.”
Mr Sharabi was taken captive by the militants from Kibbutz Beeri, a communal farm that was one of the hardest hit in the Hamas attack on October 7 2023.
His Bristol-born wife, Lianne, and their teenage daughters, Noiya and Yahel, were killed by militants while hiding in their safe room.
His brother, Yossi Sharabi, who lived next door, was killed in captivity.
The family said they did not know whether Mr Sharabi had been told that his wife and daughters were killed on October 7 2023.
Gillian and Pete Brisley watched the handover of their son-in-law, Mr Sharabi, from their home in Britain with bittersweet emotion, thrilled that he was finally free but horrified at his physical condition.
Mr Brisley said “he looks as though he’s been to Belsen”, referring to the Second World War concentration camp.
The three Israeli men were released in the fifth round of exchanges of hostages for Palestinians jailed by Israel.
They were forced to give statements before waving and being taken away by the Red Cross.
Mr Sharabi and Mr Ben Ami were both seized from kibbutz Be’eri, and Mr Levy was captured at the Nova music festival.
Steve Brisley said it looked like “the light has gone from his eyes” after seeing his brother-in-law Mr Sharabi appear on screen with sunken cheeks, a shaved head and darkened eyes.
After watching the handover, he told BBC Breakfast: “It’s the whole sort of pendulum of emotions, from joy and relief through to heartache and everything in between, to finally have confirmation that he’s alive and he’s coming out is obviously what we’ve been working towards for the last 16 months.
“To see him paraded in the way he was in that propaganda fashion was incredibly difficult.
“To see the physical state of him, on the one hand, he’s upright and walking independently at least, but (he is) gaunt, thin, and I think just the light has gone from his eyes.”
Before captivity Mr Sharabi had always been a smiley and happy man, Steve Brisley said.
The family do not yet know what he will need to get him on the road to recovery but he will have to come to terms with the loss of his wife and two daughters.
Like with other released hostages, they expect Mr Sharabi to stay at a medical centre in central Tel Aviv, where the hospitals have essentially set up sort of hostage wings for the former hostages and their families so they can have some privacy.
A multi-disciplinary team of social workers, psychiatrists, dietitians and specialist clinicians are on hand to help with the physical and mental recovery.
Steve Brisley told the BBC: “The most important thing for us is that whatever Eli needs, Eli gets.
“It is going to be for him to guide us as to who he wants to see and when. Our sort of feelings about that, quite rightly, are entirely secondary.
“I want to see him as soon as possible for myself but I understand that that may not be the best thing for him. I’m a reminder of Lianne, Noiya and Yahel. I can appreciate that that may well be incredibly difficult for him.”
The hostages’ emaciated condition and the stage-managed ceremony – a departure from previous hostage releases where the captives were not made to speak – sparked outrage in Israel.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said “we will not accept the shocking scenes” that played out. The statement did not lay out punitive measures.
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said the “difficult scenes” were reason to extend the truce with Hamas and bring home the dozens of remaining hostages.
In response Hamas’s military wing, the Qassam Brigades, claimed it had “made efforts to preserve their lives despite the (Israeli) bombardment”.
