Paraded on a stage by masked gunmen, the gaunt figure of returning hostage Eli Sharabi leaned into the microphone to express a hope that ordinarily would spark happiness and relief.
On the verge of freedom, the 52-year-old said he looked forward to seeing his wife and two teenage daughters.
But a distraught nation knew something he didn’t: His wife, Lianne, and daughters, Noiya and Yahel, were killed 16 months ago during the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attacks on Israel by Hamas, when Sharabi was taken captive from his home in Kibbutz Be’eri.
Sharabi said he was aware his brother Yossi had died in captivity and expressed anger toward the Israeli government. But amid his interview with the gunman, it was unclear if he was allowed to speak freely or if they had prepared for the interviews.
Saturday’s hostage release — the fifth since the ceasefire agreement began on Jan. 19 — marked another painful and controversial moment surrounding a Hamas hostage release. Two weeks ago, Arbel Yehoud was led through a baying crowd in Khan Younis, before the increasingly orchestrated spectacle of Saturday’s release.
Sharabi, Or Levy and Ohad Ben Ami emerged from Hamas vehicles looking frail and weak, before they were made to speak on stage.
Afterward, the trio were transferred into the custody of the Red Cross and taken safely back to Israel, but the release — and others before it — have raised concerns over the treatment of hostages, threatening to destabilize the already fragile ceasefire agreement as Phase 2 negotiations approach.
Like Sharabi, Levy’s release was also fraught with fresh tragedy.
The 34-year-old was abducted from the Nova music festival where more than 300 people were killed, including his wife, Einav Elkayam Levy. Or’s mother, Geula, said he had asked about his wife after arriving in Sheba Hospital in Israel after his release.
“He did not know,” Guela told Israeli broadcaster Kann 11 News. “He assumed, and asked, and we told him.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to “take appropriate measures” after Saturday’s release, pointing to “the serious condition of the three hostages.”
Opposition leader Yair Lapid criticized Netanyahu for his response and failure to act sooner, saying that Netanyahu had been aware for months that they were in poor condition. Netanyahu would have been well aware of the risks faced by hostages when he did not conclude a ceasefire agreement with Hamas earlier, Lapid and other critics of the prime minister contend.
Hostage families have also warned for months over the condition of those being held in Gaza, with food running short and in constant danger of Israeli strikes.
But Netanyahu is the man leading government, and his comments came shortly before a security Cabinet meeting this week regarding ceasefire negotiations.
Palestinian authorities, too, have raised alarm about the conditions of Palestinian prisoners and detainees freed as part of the ceasefire deal after seven of the 183 freed by Israel on Saturday were taken to hospital due to “their poor health condition.”
The Palestinian Prisoners’ Office released images of one man looking extremely thin, his ribs protruding from his torso.
The Red Cross — which has facilitated all five hostage and prisoner exchanges so far — expressed growing concern over the conditions of the releases, urging all parties to ensure future operations are “dignified and private.”
The flurry of accusations speaks to the fragile state of the ceasefire, already strained by frequent accusations of violations on both sides.
Hamas has accused Israel of delaying the entry of hundreds of trucks carrying food and humanitarian supplies agreed upon under the ceasefire, as well as withholding most of the tents and mobile homes needed to shelter people returning to their bombed homes.
COGAT, the Israeli military body overseeing the aid deliveries, denied these claims and warned that Israel would “not tolerate violations by Hamas.”
There was already mounting uncertainty surrounding the ceasefire, which was complicated by President Donald Trump’s unexpected statement this week suggesting that Gaza could be taken over by the United States.
So far, 16 Israeli and five Thai hostages have been released and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees have been freed in the first, 42-day phase of the agreement. There are 73 hostages still in captivity, of whom Israel has declared 34 to be dead.
According to local health officials, close to 48,000 have died in the war in Gaza, which was triggered by Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack where 1,200 were killed and 251 were taken hostage.
Vast parts of the enclave have been obliterated in the fighting, leaving any Palestinians returning to damaged or destroyed homes.
The “sustainable calm” offered by Phase 2 remains in the balance.
