A former Israeli hostage said in a rare interview with the BBC that the lives of the remaining 20 hostages in Gaza are being put at risk by the continued war between Israel and Hamas. Eli Sharabi, whose wife and kids were killed in the 7 October attacks, said he is “very worried” Trump’s latest peace plan to end the war will fail.
Mr Sharabi spent 491 days in captivity and the day he was released he realised his wife and two daughers were shot dead by Hamas after he was taken. Hamas still holds the body of Mr Sharabi’s brother Yossi and his 24-year-old friend Alon Ohel, who was held with him in Gaza’s tunnels. Months since his release, Mr Sharabi has resiliently campaigned across the world for the hostages. After meeting President Trump in the Oval Office, he said he asks him to “finish the job and help all the others to come back as well.”
But that seems far from reality. Earlier this week, the Express reported that the US 20-point “Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict” includes a map detailing a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza City. The document states “Israel will not occupy or annex Gaza” and outlines plans for three withdrawals of the Israeli Defence Forces. Point three in the document states that if both sides agree to the proposal, the war will “immediately end” and Israeli forces will “withdraw to the agreed upon line to prepare for the hostage stage”. The document also suggests an immediate end to fighting and the release within 72 hours of all hostages, in exchange for hundreds of detained Palestinian prisoners in Israel.
Hamas officials have already indicated they will reject the peace plan, with key issue being the plan’s demand that Hamas disarm, a source close to the organisation said. This would be difficult for Hamas to accept without any progress towards a two-state solution.
Mr Sharabi said the proposal was “very good news” and people must “not lose our faith that one day there will be an agreement”. But when BBC asked him if he was worried the new peace plan might not happen, he said: “Of course – very worried. Probably two days ago we were sure it’s very close, but it doesn’t look that close, unfortunately. Maybe I don’t know a few things, but I’ll be glad to be surprised.”
On 7 October, around 1,200 people in Israel lost their lives when Hamas fighters crossed the border, with a further 251 taken hostage. Since then, Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has killed more than 66,000 people, the majority of them civilians.Much of the territory has been destroyed, and most of the 2.3 million residents have been displaced multiple times. The United Nations has recently described the situation as genocide.
