"On one hand, he offered condolences but spoke of war crimes on the other. He has lost both his shame and his humanity," Sharabi's brother, Sharon, told Ynet. He said his brother was stunned that Palestinian UN envoy Riyad Mansour "talked about war crimes while so many hostages are still in Gaza. He has lost both his shame and his humanity."
Eli Sharabi's testimony at the UN
(Video: UN WEB TV)
He also noted criticism from the Russian and Chinese representatives but said other Security Council members "more or less balanced their remarks. They called for an end to the war and to civilian suffering but at least they spoke about the hostages — something the Palestinian representative did not."
In his Security Council address, Sharabi described the inhumane conditions of his captivity: "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."
"Hamas eats like kings while hostages starve. Hamas steals from civilians. Hamas blocks aid from reaching those who truly need it. I know that you discuss 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.”
Sharabi recalled how, shortly before his release, a terrorist approached him, showed him a picture of his brother Yossi and told him he had been killed. " It was like they had brought a massive hammer down on me. I refused to believe it.," he said.
He directly addressed Security Council members, saying, "491 days. That is how long I starved, how long I was chained, how long I begged for my humanity. And in all that time, no one came. And no one in Gaza helped me.”
He stressed that civilians in Gaza witnessed the hostages’ suffering and did nothing. " I am 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.”
Palestinian envoy Riyad Mansour expressed condolences to Sharabi "for his loss" but claimed, "No one at this table can fully grasp what such loss means — losing loved ones, prolonged captivity, fear and trauma — but Palestinians can because we live it. We suffer it daily."
He accused Israel of "wiping out entire families through massive, indiscriminate bombings," saying, "Children are shot in the head and chest by Israeli snipers. Communities are forcibly displaced. There is not a single Palestinian family without a loved one killed, wounded, imprisoned or uprooted — and it continues, generation after generation.”
"Those who suffer most on both sides are the strongest advocates for a ceasefire,” he said. “Their calls must be heard, just as many of you listened to another victim who testified before us. She asked to protect the ceasefire and implement the three-phase agreement. Listen to her. Their suffering must not be exploited to justify further death and destruction or as an excuse for continued war, genocide, forced displacement, annexation, dehumanization and hatred."
