On Saturday February 8, 2025, three male Israeli civilian hostages were released from Gaza as a result of the deal made between Israel and Hamas. Eli Sharabi, age 52; Ohad Ben Ami, age 56; and Or Levy, age 34 were all held in the custody of the terrorists since October 7, 2023 during the beginning of the long series of attacks on Israel. 

All three came home with dreary looks on their faces, looking malnourished and frail. Standing in front of a large crowd of terrorists on a stage presented with great pride, Sharabi and Ben Ami were dressed in brown jumpsuit that made them look like prisoners, while Levy was dressed in an Israeli Defense Force (IDF) suit, as Hamas believed that anyone under the age of 50 would be a part of the military. Before being handed over to the Red Cross, each was given a certificate practically “congratulating” them for being released, along with a short interview streamed on the Al Jazeera channel. 

All that these men wanted to do was go home to their loving families, but there were those who couldn’t or more so didn’t know they couldn’t. While in Gaza, Sharabi was told to be in a video in which he told his wife and daughters that he loved them and that he couldn’t wait to return home to see them, but he was not told that they were killed the same day he was taken. “I am very happy today to return to… my wife and daughters,” said Sharabi on the releasing stage. When he arrived at the hospital on Saturday, it was only then that he was informed of the loss of Lianne Sharabi, his wife; Noiya and Yahel Sharabi, his daughters; and Yossi Sharabi, his brother, who was murdered in Gaza and whose body is still there. 

Similarly to Sharabi, Levy’s wife, Eynav Levy, was also murdered the day he was taken hostage at the Nova festival as she was hiding with him in the shelter, leaving their three-year-old child, Almog Levy, alone without a father or a mother to look after him. He was just born when his parents were taken from him. This meant that his first word was missed, his first steps were missed, memories that could’ve been made were missed. “How can you tell a 2-year-old boy he won’t see his mother anymore?,” Michael Levy, Or’s older brother, said. Almog was able to rely on his caring grandparents and uncle even though they also struggled with missing them. Luckily, he is now able to reunite with his father and make new memories with him.

Ben Ami, taken from his home in the Be’eri Kibbutz along with his wife, Raz Ben Ami, who was released as a part of the first hostage deal in 2023. His daughters managed to keep in contact with him before he was taken tragically. Two weeks later, a photo of him dressed in a tank top and underwear and being pushed around by a terrorist was released on social media. 

They came home looking 10 years older than what they actually were. According to the Times of Israel, “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.” Their terrible condition, televised to the world, served as a prominent reminder that, if the rest of the hostages aren’t released soon, then the world is left to wonder what is to become of them.

We hope and pray, given this week’s events, that all the hostages will come home soon, as they are running out of time in Gaza. Until everyone is home, this fight cannot and will not end.