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Courtesy the families/TPS-IL on 7 February, 2025
Three Hostages Back in Israel After 491 Days
Jerusalem, 8 February, 2025 (TPS-IL) -- Israeli hostages Ohad Ben Ami, Eli Sharabi and Or Levi were returned to Israel on Saturday after 491 days in captivity, the Israel Defense Forces confirmed.
Ohad Ben Ami, a 56-year-old accountant,, was abducted along with his wife Raz from their home in Kibbutz Be’eri. Raz was released from Gaza during a temporary ceasefire in November 2023. Ohad was last seen barefoot in blue underwear, a black shirt and sunglasses, being led by terrorists into Gaza on October 7.
Eli Sharabi, 53, was also abducted from Kibbutz Be’eri. His wife, Lian, and two teenage daughters Noya and Yahel were both killed on the morning of October 7. Sharabi’s brother, Yossi, was also killed that morning and his body is being held in Gaza. Sharabi came to Be’eri at age 14, worked in printing and marketing positions, and later served in positions such as kibbutz treasurer, farming coordinator and member of the economic committee.
Or Levi. 32, of Givatayim, was at the Nova music festival at Kibbutz Reim with his wife, Einav, who was killed that morning. Levi was last seen in video footage being led away wounded along with Eliya Cohen and Hersh Goldberg-Polin to the cheers of Hamas terrorists in a pickup truck. Levi’s three-year-old son is being raised by his grandparents.
“Eli and Ohad are returning to us! Excitement, joy – and also pain, a mixture of emotions like we’ve never known before,” said the Kibbutz Be’eri spokesperson. “We never stopped praying, protesting, and waiting for this moment – the moment when we can finally see Eli and Ohad safe, and tell them: how good it is that you’ve come home! Alongside the joy of seeing them return to us, there is tremendous pain and tormenting thoughts about those who are still held hostage and the many from whom we will never receive a hug.”
Hamas holds a ‘farewell ceremony’ for Israeli hostages Eli Sharabi, Or Levy and Ohad Ben Ami in Deir el-Balah on Feb. 8, 2024 after 491 days of captivity. Photo by Majdi Fathi/TPS-IL
Meanwhile, the Israel Prison Service was preparing to release 183 Palestinian terrorists, including several serving life sentences for murder. They have been brought to the main reception centers in the ‘Ofer’ and ‘Ktziot’ prisons, where Red Cross representatives will identify each one.
Once the hostages are freed, the Red Cross will take the prisoners to release points in Judea and Samaria, and eastern Jerusalem. Others being deported to the Gaza Strip or to third countries via Gaza will be taken to the Kerem Shalom border crossing.
The ongoing first phase of the ceasefire is supposed to see a total of 33 Israeli hostages freed over six weeks in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian terrorists imprisoned in Israel. The exact number will depend on how many are alive.
The fate of the remaining 65 hostages will be determined by negotiations during the ceasefire’s second phase. Critics say the phased approach condemns hostages not freed in the beginning to open-ended captivity and undermines Israel’s war gains.
At least 1,200 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 76 remaining hostages, more than 30 are believed to be dead.
