3 hours ago
4
ARTICLE AD BOX
Sharon Sharabi, whose brothers Yossi and Eli are still captive, told the Jerusalem Post that families were anxious that phases two and three of the ceasefire deal are not set yet.
By EVE YOUNG JANUARY 15, 2025 17:39 Updated: JANUARY 15, 2025 17:40
Sharon Sharabi, Brother of Eli and Yossi, October 7 victims and Ono Alumni.
(photo credit: JERUSALEM POST STAFF)
Family members of hostages expressed concern to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the later stages of a hostage deal that will only be discussed after the implementation of the first stage, Sharon Sharabi, whose brothers Yossi and Eli are still captive, told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday.
The Sharabi family was told that Yossi was killed in Hamas captivity, likely by an IAF airstrike, in January and Eli is believed to be alive.
Meeting with Netanyahu Tuesday, families heard that Israel may be just days away from the implementation of a deal, but "along with this huge hope, there are the next stages - stages two and three, which are still not set," Sharabi explained.
"We left very worried and concerned, and we said that to Bibi - we are not willing for you to wait till the 16th day of stage one," he said, adding that the families asked Netanyahu to begin negotiation for a second and third stage right away.
"Every moment is critical for the hostages who are wasting away in Hamas captivity."
The ongoing negotiations are for all the hostages, Sharabi said that Netanyahu told them, adding that the prime minister "knows time is pressing for everyone."
"As far as the prime minister is concerned, of course, he would want one deal with one stage, but when you are sitting facing a cruel and bitter enemy, which changes its demands morning and night, then you understand you need to take the realistic step."
Waiting for their return
Sharabi addressed the fact that he is waiting for both of his brothers to come home, one who is living and on the list to be released in the first stage, and one who has been killed and whose body is not on the list of those to be released in the first stage.
"The heart is split," he said, explaining that, in a way, this reflects the split for the families - some of whose loved ones are scheduled to be released and some who will need to keep waiting.
"We are trying to narrow the gap of [the families] waiting and [make it so] there will be continuity between stages," he explained.
Stay updated with the latest news!
Subscribe to The Jerusalem Post Newsletter
"There is very great concern that stage two will not be implemented, and Israel will go back to war, and then who knows what will happen with the hostages," he said.
Sharabi explained that the families of the hostages would not stand for a situation in which some hostages don't come home, or their fate is unknown.
"we will fight until the last hostage."
Asked how he is feeling, given reports and rumors surrounding the progressing hostage deal, Sharabi said that the families are well trained in the emotional turmoil of waiting for their loved ones.
"We are like Olympic athletes training; for 15 and a half months, we have been on an exhausting, gruelling journey," he described.
"The Sharabi family lost four people, and we do not intend to receive a fifth coffin."
Sharabi envisioned the moment when his brother Eli comes homes, saying that he imagines "the moment when my 76-year-old mother gets Eli back, to hug him."
Sharabi added that this moment will also be a moment in which the family must tell Eli that his wife and daughters were murdered and that his brother - with him in captivity - was also killed.
This "shakes the soul," Sharabi said.
Sharabi touched on other things discussed in the meeting with the prime minister, saying the families raised concerns about risks to the hostages, as well as questions about the list of who will be released and various "prices" that will be paid for the hostages.
He also said that he wants the Israeli public to know that without them, the hostage families could not continue in their fight for their loved ones.
"without Am Yisrael, we would not be able to get up in the morning and continue our fight with great hope and such significant support for the hostage families, and to maintain this just and determined struggle," he said.
He also said "thanks to our soldiers, Israel is able to create success at the negotiation table. Success in the field was translated to the success of making Hamas more flexible."
Sharabi called on Israel's leaders to behave responsibly and watch what they say publicly,
"So that God forbid there will not be any damage to the [hostage deal] process or something that would torpedo the process."
Looking towards the coming months, Sharabi said that President-elect Donald Trump's upcoming inauguration, along with the geopolitical situation in the Middle East, can be a trigger to creating pressure for a deal.
He emphasized that in spite of the language used, this is not just a "deal."
"The deal is not a real-estate deal or a [deal at appliance store] Machsanei Hshmal. This is an agreement to save lives."
English (US) ·