Minutes after Eli Sharabi was released from Hamas captivity in February, he learned that his wife and two daughters had been killed on Oct. 7, 2023 — the day of his kidnapping. They were found “cuddled together,” according to testimonies, in the family home on Kibbutz Be’eri, from which Sharabi had been led out by his captors.

“I feel the pain pulsating through my broken body, a pain without a name and without form,” Sharabi, 53, writes of hearing the terrible news in his searing new memoir, “Hostage.” The book, coming out on Oct. 7, became an instant best seller when published in Israel earlier this year.

Sharabi spent nearly 14 months in an underground tunnel with three other Israeli hostages. Two of the men were released with Sharabi this past winter, as part of a cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas. The third — a 24-year-old pianist named Alon Ohel — remains in captivity, along with 46 other hostages, roughly 20 of whom who are believed to be alive.

Interviewed by telephone weeks before Hamas and Israel agreed to a new, more urgent round of negotiations, starting Monday, on a deal to release the remaining hostages, Sharabi recounted both the darkest times and his commitment to hope.

We’ll get to the book in a moment. But first, can I ask how you’re doing?

I’m fine, thank you very much. I’m getting stronger every day. My life is full of meaning, full of action. I couldn’t ask for anything more.

Optimism seeps out from your book, too. And now you’re recognized everywhere you go in Israel; you’re meeting world leaders. But not that long ago you were in the darkest place imaginable. Can you talk about that whirlwind?