Gaunt and Frail, Horrific Images of Three Hostages Return After 16-Month Captivity in Gaza

[Social Media]

 

‘Starved, emaciated and pained’ After 16 harrowing months in captivity, three Israeli hostages abducted during the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack were released on Saturday. Their return, though a moment of relief, came with haunting images that underscored the desperate urgency of bringing all captives home.  

Tortured, starved and frail, the Israeli hostages Eli, Or Levy are finally being released, but not before one last macabre display by the Hamas monsters.

Soon, they will be free again! pic.twitter.com/s6PP3TuhkC

— Arsen Ostrovsky 🎗️ (@Ostrov_A) February 8, 2025

 

Eli Sharabi, 52, Or Levy, 34, and Ohad Ben Ami, 56, appeared frail and emaciated as they were handed over by Hamas in Deir al-Balah to the Red Cross. Although able to walk, they were visibly weak and unsteady, a stark testament to the conditions they endured during their prolonged captivity.  

 

 

For Sharabi and Levy, homecoming carried an unimaginable tragedy. Sharabi’s wife, Lianne, and their two daughters, Noiya, 16, and Yahel, 13—both dual British-Israeli citizens—were murdered on October 7. Levy’s wife, Eynav, was also killed that day at the Supernova music festival. It remains unclear whether the released men were aware of these devastating losses, and their families have been advised by professionals on how to navigate these painful revelations.  

Moments ago, 3 Israeli civilian hostages, Ohad, Or and Eli, were released by Hamas barbarians.
They're skeletons, but alive.#Israel #Hamas #BringThemHome pic.twitter.com/3OdwFoei0U

— Erez Neumark 🇮🇱🇧🇪 (@ErezNeumark) February 8, 2025

 

Michal Cohen, Ben Ami’s mother, expressed her heartbreak at seeing her son in such a frail state. “He looks terrible. He is 57, but he looks ten years older. It is so sad for me to see him like this,” she told Channel 12. Similarly, Or Levy’s brother, Tal, described his reaction to seeing him: “He looks very, very thin, and it’s indeed very difficult to see him, but he’s coming back and he’ll recover.”  

Tal Levy also emphasized the broader issue at hand: “Today more than ever, all the hostages need to come back… we must see this deal through.”  

 

The hostages’ attire further illustrated the grim conditions of their captivity. Sharabi and Ben Ami wore brown outfits labeled “prisoners,” while Levy was dressed in a replica of an Israel Defense Forces uniform—despite being a civilian. Hamas classifies all Israeli men under 50 as soldiers, a claim widely rejected by Israel and international organizations.  

 

The handover was staged against a backdrop orchestrated by Hamas, featuring a banner reading “total victory,” a phrase frequently used by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu throughout the war. The theatrical display contrasted starkly with the suffering of the hostages.  

 

Sharabi was taken from Kibbutz Be’eri when Hamas militants stormed southern Israel, while Levy and his wife were caught in the attack on the Supernova rave near Kibbutz Re’im. They had attempted to flee in their car when the rockets began but were forced to seek refuge in a roadside bomb shelter. Days later, the Israeli military informed Levy’s family that his wife had been killed, her body found in the shelter, and that he had been taken hostage.  

 

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum released a statement condemning the conditions in which the captives had been held. “The horrifying images of Ohad, Eli, and Or reveal the devastating toll of 491 days in Hamas captivity,” the forum declared. “These are men who have endured hell itself. This is a crime against humanity.”  

 

The statement further drew a powerful historical parallel, likening the images of the released men to those of liberated prisoners from World War II. “These disturbing images show the entire world the desperate reality facing every hostage still held in Gaza. These images evoke the horrifying pictures from the liberation of the camps in 1945, the darkest chapter of our history. We have to get ALL OF THE HOSTAGES out of hell,” the forum urged. “There can be no more delays—a second stage of the hostage deal must be implemented immediately.”  

 

As part of the agreement, Israel is expected to release 183 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the three hostages, including 18 serving life sentences, 54 with long-term sentences, and 111 detained in Gaza during the war.  

 

The release of these three men, while a moment of hope, is also a reminder of the many still held in Gaza and the urgent need for further negotiations to bring them home.

 

Based on a report by Time | Daily Telegraph 2025-02-10

 

 

[Bkk Brian]

<deleted> sick bastards. Two of the  hostages released today have the horrific news that their families were murdered on Oct 7th waiting for them after all this time.

 

https://x.com/nicolelampert/status/1887918144108511252

 

[Bkk Brian]

Ransom Deal: Dates for Your Diary,

 

8 Feb.: 3 hostages Saturday,

 

15 Feb.: 3 hostages Saturday,

 

1 March: 3 hostages & 8 bodies