Hamas tortured, starved Israeli Eli Sharabi after kidnapping him on October 7 and murdering his family
President Donald Trump has invited freed hostage Eli Sharabi to the White House after watching excerpts of an interview in which Sharabi described his 16 months of torture and starvation in Hamas captivity.
Sharabi, released last month as part of the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, is scheduled to meet Trump on Tuesday, his brother Sharon told Haaretz on Sunday. Sharabi, whom Hamas kidnapped on October 7 along with his brother Yossi, said in a recent interview that terrorists tortured, chained, and starved him.
“Excerpts from the program were shown to Trump with English subtitles, and he was shocked,” Sharon Sharabi told Haaretz.
Sharabi, who lost 40 percent of his body weight during his captivity, learned upon release that Hamas had murdered his wife and daughters in the October 7 attack and that Yossi Sharabi had been killed in Gaza, the Times of Israel reported.
The invitation comes as the ceasefire shows signs of faltering, with Israel warning Hamas of “additional consequences” if the terrorist group refuses to accept a new proposal for an extended ceasefire. “Israel will not allow a ceasefire without a release of our hostages,” Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in an X post. Fifty-nine hostages remain in Hamas captivity.
Trump’s invitation “is inspiring,” Sharon Sharabi said, according to the New York Post. “It warms the heart that Trump understands the urgency. I hope the meeting will help to bring the hostage[s] home.”
Read the full article here
