The Gaza War Day 532; The Wars Elsewhere

Friday

Yom Shishee

21 Adar 5785

March 21 2025

UPDATE 10:00 AM ISRAEL TIME

The Quote of the Day

Released hostage Eli Sharabi tragically and eloquently speaking at the United Nations yesterday–holding up a photo of himself with his murdered family: wife Lianne, and daughters Noiya and Yahel:

“I was treated worse than an animal in captivity. Where was the Red Cross when we needed them? Where was the UN? . . . No one in Gaza helped me. The civilians saw us suffer, and they cheered the terrorists. There is no such thing as uninvolved.”

As Sharabi made his accusations, the members of the Security Council–the same Council that has so often voted to condemn Israel–sat stony-faced and seemingly indifferent to what Sharabi was saying.

To read Sharabi’s entire statement scroll to the bottom of today’s blog.

The Tweet of the Evening

John Fetterman, U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania and one of the very few Democrat Party senators whom Israel can always count on for support, has been in Israel for the past few days and was in his hotel in Jerusalem yesterday evening when the incoming shrapnel sirens from the Houthi launches blared across the city. His tweet:

Sen. Fetterman is correct: “Who can imagine living under these conditions?”–and for calling out anti-Israel members of Congress.

Kolakevod to Senator Fetterman for his support and for telling it like it is.

As for that Houthi missile, this was the incoming shrapnel alarm pattern encompassing Hebron, Kiryat Arba, Beitar Illit, Jerusalem, Modi’in-Maccabim-Re’ut, Mevaseret Zion, Ma’ale Adumim, and Beit Shemesh:

In yesterday’s blog, we discussed how little impact the Houthi missiles have had except for the openings and closures of Ben Gurion Airport.

MADA informed us yesterday how the impact is more than your humble servant wrote. From MADA:

“Following the alarms, 34 people arrived . . . at Terem emergency medical centers in the central region, the Shephelah and Jerusalem . . . ; as a result of running to the shelter and emergency rooms, many are suffering not only from bruises, cuts, fractures and sprains, but also from chest pain and anxiety . . . A 73-year-old woman from Beit Shemesh, who fell on the way to the emergency room and suffered a back injury, a cut, and a head injury, was treated at the emergency room and sent for further treatment at the hospital [and] a 7-year-old boy from Petah Tikva, who fell down the stairs of his house and suffered a deep cut on his forehead, required stitches and further treatment at the hospital.”

By the way, the Trump Administration has specifically asked Israel not to respond to the Houthis–saying that it will respond.

On the Ground in Gaza

*Despite the terrible weather, the IAF carried out massive strikes on Beit Lahia in northern Gaza.

*At this moment, IDF troops are advancing on the Mu’azzi neighborhood in central Gaza.

*The IDF Spokesman at 8:10 pm last night:

Photo IDF

“In recent hours, IDF forces began a ground operation in the area of ​​the Shabura neighborhood in Rafah. As part of the operation, the forces destroyed several terrorist infrastructures. At the same time, IDF forces are continuing ground operations in northern and central Gaza. In northern Gaza, IDF forces worked to destroy a terrorist infrastructure that had been used in recent months as a Hamas command and control complex from which the terrorists planned and executed terrorist attacks against IDF forces and Israeli citizens.”

Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists killed in the last 24 hours:

Ahmed Shemali, Hamas’ commander of the Shuja’iyya Battalion

Osama Tabash, commander of the eastern battalion of Khan Yunis in the military wing of Hamas

Rashid Jahjuh, head of Hamas’ General Security Forces

Ayman Atsalih, head of the Khan Yunis sector within Hamas’ General Security Forces

Ismail Abd al-Aal, a central terrorist in the Islamic Jihad’s Weapons Smuggling Unit

*An interesting, unconfirmed report from an Arabic newspaper this morning is that Egypt has agreed to temporarily evacuate half a million Gazans to a city in Sinai. 

On the Ground in Lebanon

*A Hezbollah weapons depot destroyed with dozens of secondary explosions:

*The IDF Spokesperson:

“The IDF recently attacked a military site containing underground infrastructure in the Bekaa Valley region in Lebanon, and a military site containing rocket launchers in southern Lebanon, where activity by the terrorist organization Hezbollah was observed.”

The Huge News in Israeli Governance

PM Netanyahu and Shin Bet Head Ronen Bar:

The government unanimously approved the termination of the tenure of Ronen Bar as the head of Shin Bet.

The announcement from the Prime Minister’s Office: “The government has now unanimously approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposal to terminate the term of Shin Bet head Ronen Bar. Ronen Bar will end his role as Shin Bet head on April 10, 2025 or when a permanent Shin Bet head is appointed – whichever comes first.”

Of course, the Israeli “left” has gone completely off their rockers accusing Netanyahu of everything from being a traitor to being a Hitler-like dictator. It is simply unbelievable how the level of discourse in this country has deteriorated.

The bottom line is that Bar failed miserably on October 7–failing to even awaken PM Netanyahu that morning to tell him what was going on (despite apparently knowing about hours in advance), and overseeing an office that has been responsible for dozens of leaks about the hostage negotiations. It is high time to replace him.

The Entire Text of Eli Sharabi’s address

to the U.N. Security Council Yesterday:

“My name is Eli Sharabi. I am 53 years old. I’ve come back from hell. I’ve returned to tell my story. I used to live in Kibbutz Be’eri with my British-born wife, Lianne, and my daughters, Noiya and Yahel.

It was a beautiful community. We were all passionate about creating the best life for our children and for our neighbors. At 16, I left Tel Aviv for Be’eri seeking a peaceful home, away from the concrete city. I found a loving community and knew I would raise my family there.

Many asked why we lived near Gaza, but to me, Be’eri was heaven. Lianne came from Bristol, UK as a volunteer. She was meant to stay a few months, but she met me and we fell in love. We were married for 23 years and had two wonderful daughters and a dog, Mocha.

On October 7, my heaven turned to hell. Sirens began. Hamas terrorists invaded. And I was ripped away from my family, never to see them again. For 491 days, I was kept mostly underground in Hamas terror tunnels, chained, starved, beaten, and humiliated. I was held captive in the darkness, isolated from the world by Hamas terrorists.

They took pleasure in our suffering. I survived on scraps of food with no medical attention and no mercy. When I was released, I weighed just 44 kilos. I had lost over 30 kilos, nearly half my body weight.

For 491 days, I held on to hope. I imagined the life we would rebuild. I dreamt of seeing my family again. Only when I returned home, I learned the truth. My wife and my daughters had been slaughtered by Hamas terrorists on October 7.

I’m here today, less than six weeks after my release. To speak for those still trapped in that nightmare. For my brother Yossi, murdered in Hamas captivity, his body still held hostage.

For Alon Ohel, still 50 meters underground, I swore to him that I would tell his story. For Hersh, Ori, Eden, Carmel, Almog and Alexander, murdered in cold blood by their captors. For every hostage still in Hamas hands.

I’m here to tell you the whole truth.

On the morning of October 7, at 6:29 a.m., the red alerts began to come through on Lianne’s phone. I told her not to worry. It will be over soon, I said. Minutes later, we heard that terrorists were infiltrating our community. They were inside the kibbutz. Again, I reassured her, the army will come. They always come.

We heard gunfire, screaming, explosions. And then we heard the terrorists at our door. We had no weapons, no way to fight back. Lianne and I made a decision we would not resist. We hoped we could save our daughter.

The door opened, our dog barked, the terrorists opened fire. Lianne and I threw ourselves over our daughters, screaming for the terrorists to stop. Suddenly, 10 terrorists were inside my home. They took our phones. Two of them grabbed me.

They took my wife and daughters to the kitchen. I couldn’t see them anymore. I didn’t know what was happening to them. I was screaming their names, and they were screaming mine. I told Lianne not to be afraid. But this was fear beyond anything I’ve ever felt.

Then, I knew I was being taken. As they dragged me out, I called out to my girls: “I will be back.” I had to believe that. But that was the last time I ever saw them. I didn’t know I should have said goodbye, forever.

Outside was like a war zone. My peaceful home, my slice of heaven was gone. I saw over a hundred terrorists filming themselves, celebrating, laughing, partying in our gardens as they massacred my friends and neighbors. They dragged me out, they dragged me to the door, to the border, beating me the whole way.

My face was swollen, my ribs bruised. When we arrived in Gaza, a mob of civilians tried to lynch me. They pulled me from the car, but the terrorists rushed me away into a mosque. I was their trophy.

I thought about Lianne, Noiya, and Yahel. Were they still alive? For the first 52 days, I was held in an apartment. I was tied up with ropes. My arms and legs were tied so tightly, the ropes tore into my flesh. I was given almost no food, no water, and I couldn’t sleep. The pain was unbearable. Sometimes I would just faint from the pain, only to wake up to that pain again and again.

Then, on November 27, 2023, Hamas took me into a tunnel, 50 meters underground. Again, the chains were so tight, they ripped my skin. They never took them off. Not for a single moment. Those chains tore at me until the day I was released. Every step I took was no more than 10 centimeters. Every walk to the bathroom took an eternity. I cannot begin to describe the agony. It was hell.

I was fed a piece of pita a day, maybe a sip of tea. Hunger consumed everything. They beat me, they broke my ribs. I didn’t care. I just wanted a piece of bread. There was never enough food. Sometimes, if we begged enough, we would get something extra. We had to choose an extra piece of pita or a cup of tea. Sometimes, they threw us dry dates, and it felt like the greatest gift in the world.

We had to beg for food, beg to use the bathroom. Begging was our existence. We strategized over every meal. One day, I cut myself with a razor, just to make them believe I was injured. I collapsed on my way to the bathroom, so they would think I was too weak and encourage them to give us more food. It worked. They gave us more food. We survived of those small victories.

Do you know what it means to open a refrigerator? It is everything. To be able to reach and take a piece of fruit, an egg, a piece of bread. I dreamt of this simple act every day. For months, we lived like this. I stopped counting the days.

Living as a hostage, you don’t know how the day will begin, nor how it will end, whether you’ll live or die. At any moment, they could beat you. At any moment, they could kill you. You wake up every day and do not know when you will be able to eat. It could be 12 p.m., 5 p.m., 11 p.m. This would be the only meal we would have. You hope and pray that there will be no surprises with the captors.

You think about how desperately you want to shower. We only got one bath a month, with half a bucket of cold water. Toothpaste, toilet paper — forget it.

Psychological terror was constant. Every day they told us: “The world has abandoned you. No one is coming.” By the time I met Alon Ohel, who is now 24 years old, we had already endured terrible captivity. We relied on each other for survival. Alon is a very talented pianist. And I remember how we would pretend to play the piano on his body to keep himself sane.

(Sharabi holds up a poster of Alon.)

He doesn’t look any more like that.

One day, a terrorist took his anger out on me. He stormed in and beat me so badly that he broke my ribs. I couldn’t properly breathe for months. Alon tried to protect me with his own body. You couldn’t believe how lucky I felt when Alon told me he had saved one painkiller pill. He gave it to me to get through the night.

Alon still has shrapnel in his right eye from the day he was kidnapped. He never received medical care. He never saw the Red Cross. To this day, he is blind in that eye. When I was released, he grabbed onto me, terrified to be left behind. He told me he was happy for me. I promised him it was just a matter of days before he would be home too. I was wrong.

Just before my release, Hamas took pleasure in showing me a picture of my brother Yossi.

(Sharabi raises a poster of his brother.)

This is my oldest brother. Husband for Nira, a father for Yuval, Ophir, and Oren. They told me he was dead. It was like they had brought a massive hammer down on me. I refused to believe it. My brother Yossi was all heart. Those with him in captivity told me that he gave his food to others.

On February 8, 2025, I was released. I weighed 44 kilograms. This is less than the body weight of my youngest daughter, Yahel, may her memory be a blessing. I was a shell of my former self. I still am.

(Sharabi raises a photo of himself before he was abducted and on the day he was released.)

I couldn’t believe how I looked. I stood at that sick Hamas ceremony, surrounded by terrorists, and the crowd of so-called uninvolved civilians, hoping my wife and daughters were waiting for me.

At the end of the day, I met a representative from the Red Cross. She told me, “Don’t worry, you are safe now.” Safe? How could they feel safe surrounded by terrorist monsters? Where had the Red Cross been for the past 491 days?

Then I arrived home. They told me my mother and sister were waiting for me. I said, “Get me my wife and daughters.” And that was when I knew they were gone. They had been murdered.

(Sharabi raises a photo of his family’s graves.)

I’m here today because I survived and I prevailed. But that is not enough. Not when Alon Ohel is still there. Not when 59 hostages are still there. Right now, Alon is trapped underground, alone, surrounded by terrorists who torment him. He doesn’t know if he will ever see his mother, father, his entire beloved family again.

I will not leave him behind. I will not leave anyone behind. Their time has almost run out. I’m here before you now to give my testimony and to ask, where was the United Nations? Where was the Red Cross? Where was the world?

I know that you’ve discussed the humanitarian situation in Gaza very often. But let me tell you, as an eyewitness, I saw what happened to that aid: Hamas stole it.

I saw Hamas terrorists carrying boxes with the UN and UNRWA emblems on them into the tunnel. Dozens and dozens of boxes paid by your governments. Feeding terrorists who tortured me and murdered my family. They would eat many meals a day from the UN aid in front of us and we never received any of it.

When you speak of humanitarian aid, remember this: Hamas eats like kings while hostages starve. Hamas steals from civilians. Hamas blocks aid from reaching those who truly need it. Four hundred and ninety-one days. That is how long I starved. How long I was chained. How long I begged for humanity. And in all that time, no one came. And no one in Gaza helped me. No one.

The civilians in Gaza saw us suffering. They cheered our kidnappers. They were definitely involved.

I was freed less than six weeks ago. I met President Trump at the White House and thanked him for securing my release and many others. I appreciate his efforts to free those still held hostage by Hamas. I told him, “Bring them all home.” I met with Prime Minister Starmer at 10 Downing Street. I told him, “Bring them all home.”

Now, I’m here before you at the United Nations to say: Bring them all home.

No more excuses. No more delays. If you stand for humanity, prove it. Bring them home.

My name is Eli Sharabi. I am not a diplomat. I am a survivor. Bring them all home, now.

Thank you.”

And so it goes on a windy, rainy morning here in Israel

. . . so far . . .