Released Hamas hostage speaks to students at Rutgers Hillel

On Monday, Eli Sharabi, a survivor of Hamas captivity following the attacks of October 7th spoke to a group of Rutgers students at the Hillel on campus.

Sharabi was held as a hostage for 491 days and was released last year in February. The event at the Rutgers Hillel held significance for being almost a year after Sharabi’s release, as well as taking place a week after Israel retrieved the remains of hostage Ran Gvili, marking the first time since 2014 that no Israeli hostages, dead or alive, were held in Gaza.

In a moderated discussion, Sharabi discussed the details of his time spent in captivity as well as the murders of his wife, Lian, his two daughters, Noya and Yahel, and his brother Yossi.

Sharabi also promoted his memoir titled “Hostage,” which recounts his time spent as a hostage in harrowing conditions where he was starved, subjected to humiliation and tortured by his captors.

The 90-minute event offered Rutgers students an opportunity to hear the first-hand account of the October 7th attacks, as well as his captivity in Gaza and his recovery after he was released.

Following the conclusion of the moderated discussion, Sharabi answered questions from audience members.