Hamas freed three Israeli hostages, pale and malnourished, in exchange of the 183 Palestinian prisoners as part of the ceasefire agreement.
After almost 500 days both the prisoners were returned to each other countries, but with one side being upset with the other. The severely emaciated condition of the freed hostages — Eli Sharabi, Or Levi and Ohad Ben Ami — caused distress amongst Israelis, prompting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to label Hamas officials as “monsters” whilst vowing to eliminate the group.
The release procedure involved a Hamas-orchestrated handover ceremony where the three men were required to respond to questions from a masked individual, whilst armed fighters with automatic weapons stood guard. The live broadcast showed the three men in a visibly deteriorated state, appearing more unwell than the previous 18 hostages released under the January truce after 15 months of conflict, AP News Agency reported.
“He looked like a skeleton, it was awful to see,” Ohad Ben Ami’s mother-in-law, Michal Cohen, told Channel 13 News whilst watching the handover ceremony at home.
Israeli PM Netanyahu expressed his shock at the hostages’ frail condition and assured action would be taken. “We will eliminate Hamas, and we will return our hostages,” Netanyahu stated in a video message, condemning the militants as “monsters” following the ceremony where the three weakened men were made to speak publicly.
Ohad Ben Ami and Eli Sharabi were captured from Kibbutz Be’eri during the Hamas assault on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, whilst Or Levy was taken from the Nova music festival on the same day.
Who are the victims of incident
Ben Ami, aged 56, and Sharabi, aged 52, were abducted from their residences in Kibbutz Be’eri, situated approximately four kilometres (2.5 miles) from the Gaza border, CNN reported.
Raz Ben Ami, the wife of Ben Ami, who was also captured on the same day, was released during a brief ceasefire in November 2023.
According to the kibbutz, Sharabi’s wife and daughters lost their lives in the October 7 assault. Whether he was aware of their deaths remains uncertain. His brother Yossi Sharabi, who was also captured, died in Gaza, and his remains are still there, as confirmed by the Israeli military.
Levy, aged 34, was captured whilst attending the Nova music festival on October 7. His wife, Eynav, perished in the attack.
Israeli hostages reunite with family
Hamas and Israel confirmed the identities of the freed individuals as: Eli Sharabi, 52; Ohad Ben Ami, 56; and Or Levy, 34.
“It’s over, it’s over,” exclaimed Levy’s brother Michael during their emotional reunion at a military facility where the former captives first arrived from Gaza. Levy’s parents joined the emotional reunion. Levy’s wife lost her life in the October 7 attack, whilst their 3-year-old son remained under relatives’ care.
Ella Ben Ami, daughter of the freed Ohad Ben Ami, shared with Israeli channel 12 that she struggled to identify her father when watching the live coverage of his release after 16 months in captivity.
“I have to say that it was a really difficult few moments, to say the least,” she said, adding: “He was emaciated and his bones were protruding. It took me a moment to realize that this was my father.”
Ella and her sisters, Yulie and Natalie, communicated with their father during his hospital examination. “You’re the strongest in the world!” Ella told him, as shown in footage released by the prime minister’s office.