Family of freed hostage say he is frail and ‘the spark was gone from his eyes’

The British household of released hostage Eli Sharabi person spoken of their alleviation that helium has been freed, but say  helium looks “incredibly frail” and “the spark was gone from his eyes”.

Mr Sharabi was taken captive from Kibbutz Beeri by the militants during the October 7 2023 Hamas attack.

His Bristol-born woman Lianne and teenage daughters Noiya and Yahel were killed by militants portion hiding successful their harmless room, and his brother, Yossi Sharabi, who lived adjacent door, was killed successful captivity.

On Saturday Mr Sharabi, 52, and chap captives Ohad Ben Ami, 56, and Or Levy, 34, appeared bladed arsenic they were paraded by Hamas gunmen connected a signifier successful Deir al-Balah successful cardinal Gaza.

His brother-in-law Steve Brisley, 48, of Bridgend, Wales, told the PA quality agency: “It has been a time of relief, each the mode done joy, each the mode done to heartache. Really, it’s a existent benignant of the existent spectrum emotions.

“Up until his sanction came retired connected the database yesterday afternoon, we inactive didn’t cognize whether helium was live oregon dead.”

The hostages’ emaciated information and the stage-managed ceremony, a departure from erstwhile hostage releases wherever the captives were not made to speak, sparked outrage successful Israel.

After watching the televised ceremonial from his location successful Britain, Mr Brisley said helium did not recognise Mr Sharabi astatine first, arsenic helium looked “incredibly frail, incredibly airy and it’s wide that he’s not seen daylight for immoderate time”.

He added: “It truly struck maine however it’s wide however overmuch value he’s lost. I mean, the baggy apparel were hanging disconnected of him. You could spot his wrists were bony.

“The happening that truly struck maine was his face. It’s drawn and it’s gaunt, the acheronian rings astir his eyes.

“Eli has ever been a precise happy, smiley antheral and helium smiles with his full look and with his eyes.

“It was the spark was gone from his eyes, that’s the happening I deliberation I recovered astir distressing to see.

“He looked confused and and disorientated.

“It’s not the Eli that that I cognize and love. Obviously, the interaction of 491 days was written each implicit his face.”

The 3 Israeli men were released successful the 5th circular of exchanges of hostages for Palestinians jailed by Israel.

They were forced to springiness statements earlier waving and being taken distant by the Red Cross.

Mr Sharabi and Mr Ben Ami were some seized from kibbutz Beeri, and Mr Levy was captured astatine the Nova euphony festival.

Referring to survivors of Second World War captive camps, Mr Brisley said: “I deliberation the examination is wide there, with the bony, gaunt faces.

“It’s haunting to spot him similar that. I tin lone ideate what the past 15 months has done to him to marque him look similar that.

“I deliberation it’s the airy that’s gone from his eyes, that’s the astir concerning thing, due to the fact that carnal symptom and carnal problems tin beryllium repaired overmuch much easy than the intelligence ones.”

It is not known if Mr Sharabi is alert that his loved ones were killed but “we cognize that immoderate of the terrorists did termination household members successful beforehand of the radical they’ve taken hostage, purely for the intelligence panic of it,” Mr Brisley said.

He added: “I bash wonderment if helium hasn’t known astir it each this time, is the imaginable of being reunited with Lianne and the girls been what’s kept him going and nourished him for 491 days?

“What is it going to bash to the antheral erstwhile helium finds retired that they’re gone, due to the fact that household is everything to him.

“He is simply a household antheral and everything helium does, everything helium is, is for his family. The joyousness helium whitethorn person felt astatine walking to state volition beryllium wholly shattered by the quality that his household has gone.”

As with different released hostages, Mr Sharabi’s relatives expect helium volition enactment astatine a aesculapian centre successful cardinal Tel Aviv, wherever the hospitals person fundamentally acceptable up peculiar wings for the erstwhile hostages truthful they and their families tin person immoderate privacy.

A multi-disciplinary squad of societal workers, psychiatrists, dietitians and specializer clinicians are connected manus to assistance with the carnal and intelligence recovery.

After seeing the information of the hostages and the stage-managed ceremony,  the bureau of Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said “we volition not judge the shocking scenes” that played out.

The connection did not laic retired punitive measures.

Israeli absorption person Yair Lapid said the “difficult scenes” were crushed to widen the truce with Hamas and bring location the dozens of remaining hostages.

In response, Hamas’s subject wing, the Qassam Brigades, claimed it had “made efforts to sphere their lives contempt the (Israeli) bombardment”.