Eli Sharabi , a former Israeli hostage held by Hamas in Gaza, is being featured on the cover of TIME magazine that hits newsstands on Oct. 27. An excerpt of his memoir, documenting his survival of 491 days of captivity in the Strip, was published online on Oct. 1.

“As they dragged me out, I called out to my girls: I’ll 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,” said the 53-year-old Be’eri resident.

He was kidnapped from the kibbutz during the Oct. 7, 2023 mass invasion of the northwestern Negev and released as part of a ceasefire deal on Feb. 8, 2025.

During the massacre, his wife, Lian, and their daughters Noya, 16, and Yahel, 13, were murdered. His brother Yossi was also kidnapped and later murde

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