If President Donald Trump needed more reason to pursue his “take over” Gaza pipedream, Hamas pulled through again over the weekend. On Saturday, Feb. 8, Israeli hostages Eli Sharabi (52), Or Levy (34), and Ohad Ben Ami (56) were released as part of the ceasefire agreement with Israel showing visible signs of physical and mental abuse and evidence of starvation in clear violation of the Geneva Convention on the treatment of prisoners. Their empty stares and frail bodies looked as if they were straight from the 1945 Nazi concentration camp liberations.
Following the same publicity stunt from the hostage release on Jan. 25, Sharabi, Levy, and Ben Ami — the first males released in “phase one” of the current agreement — were handed over to the Red Cross after publicly exhibited on a curated stage in the central Gazan city Deir al-Balah.
But whereas the last hostages released exuded confidence and poise, shaming Hamas and turning what should have been their humiliation into a victory, the three men on Saturday were hard to watch. They looked grossly malnourished with haggard faces, crushed spirits, and visibly unstable on their feet, shuffling their steps and needing help getting in and out of the SUVs. (RELATED: Israeli Hostages Turn Humiliation into Victory)
Sharabi and Ben Ami mounted the stage dressed in brown prison uniforms that seemed to swallow their skeletal frames. Levy, barely recognizable, and while not serving in the IDF, was dressed in military olive drab as Hamas considers any Israeli under the age of 50 a soldier. They were made to speak into microphones before the crowd about how well they were treated in captivity and stressed the urgent need for more hostage-prisoner exchanges. Many Israeli news outlets refused to air the speeches, knowing full well it was scripted propaganda.
The depressing scene sparked immediate outrage across Israel. “He looks terrible,” Ben Ami’s mother said. “He is 57, but he looks ten years older …. he looked like a skeleton.”
“The shocking images we saw today will not pass without response,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office released in a statement on Saturday. “Due to the harsh condition of the three hostages and the repeated violations of the Hamas terror groups, the prime minister has ordered that Israel not gloss over this and will take action as needed.”
After examining the three repatriated men, Israeli medical officials stated on Sunday that they all suffered from severe physical and mental deterioration, malnutrition, decreased muscle mass, heart disorders, and prolonged infection. It was also reported that the priority of Levy’s release was due to a “humanitarian concern,” although the details of the concern are not clear.
Casting a darker shadow on an already somber day, Sharabi and Levy returned home to Israel only to find out that while they were being taken captive 16 months ago, their abductors had murdered their families. Sharabi’s wife and two teenage daughters, dual U.K.–Israeli citizens, were murdered by Hamas in the safe room of their home in Kibbutz Be’eri on Oct. 7, 2023. Sharabi’s brother was also taken hostage but later murdered in captivity. Hamas is holding his body, which is worth the release of 30 Palestinian prisoners. Likewise, Levy’s wife had been killed on Oct. 7 at the Nova Music Festival.
The condition of the released hostages quickly galvanized new public support to pressure Netanyahu’s government to advance the next stages of the ceasefire agreement. “Today more than ever, the hostages need to come back … we must see this deal through,” Or Levy’s brother Tal told Channel 12 news. If this is what they look like now, we can’t wait any longer, was the overall sentiment at “Hostage Square” in Tel Aviv over the weekend. Over the past 16 months, mass gatherings and vigils have taken place at this city square every weekend in support of the hostages alongside antigovernment protests over Netanyahu’s perceived handling of the war.
“What did he [Netanyahu] expect?” one political pendant questioned on Channel 12 news. “The prime minister is familiar with the intelligence material and the medical opinions [on the hostages]. The more time that passes, the more the releases are going to become difficult in terms of the hostages’ appearances.” The prime minister’s office, however, pushed back, saying they were not aware that the hostages had succumbed to this level of starvation.
Amidst the international shock and outcry at the hostages’ appearance as concentration camp survivors, CNN ran a story early Sunday morning juxtaposing their condition against those of released Palestinian prisoners. In exchange for Sharabi, Levy, and Ben Ami, 183 Palestinian prisoners were freed on Saturday, 18 of whom were serving life sentences for murdering Israeli citizens in terrorist attacks.
The Palestinian Prisoners’ Club (yes, there is such a thing) stated on Saturday that seven of the 183 were admitted to hospitals in need of “medical care, treatment, and examinations as a result of the brutality they were subjected to during the past months.” Treading the middle ground, U.N. Human Rights spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan stated that “images of emaciated Israeli hostages and Palestinian detainees released as part of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement have been deeply distressing.”
CNN argued that Israeli prison conditions for Palestinians had deteriorated ever since National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir proclaimed in the Knesset last year that he does “not care about” Palestinian terrorists and that they should be given “minimal food” in prison. Although there is no proof that Ben Gvir’s statement — as unpopular as he is — had any direction on prison policy, Jerusalem has consistently been transparent about the condition of Palestinian prisoners and the government’s strict implementation of international law.
The unsettling events over the weekend have magnified the hidden cracks in the fragile ceasefire agreement. Returning from Washington after hearing Trump’s plan for the future of Gaza, Netanyahu appears reluctant to rush into “phase two” of the current ceasefire despite overwhelming public opinion. In reaction to Trump’s threat to deport Gazans and allegations that Israel has violated the ceasefire stipulations, Hamas announced on Monday, Feb. 10, that they would delay the next hostage release scheduled for Saturday. Hours after Hamas’s statement, the IDF canceled authorized leave for soldiers stationed in Gaza for fear of possible escalation.
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