Hostage, Eli Sharabi, author; Geoffrey Cantor, narrator
How does anyone review a book about the barbaric event that took place in Israel on October 7th, 2023? There are no words that can adequately explain or illustrate the ruthlessness and savagery of the Hamas soldiers and their Gazan supporters. They invaded the country while the Israelis were celebrating the Sabbath and the holiday of Simchat Torah. How can anyone describe the terror and the fear of their victims as they were brutalized and murdered, or justify their further depraved behavior when they took hundreds of people as hostages to use as bargaining chips to accomplish whatever goals they were after. They murdered babies, pregnant women, grandmothers, pets, children and everyone they came in contact with and then even took babies and elderly and women as hostages too, along with the men. They tortured some of their victims and then bragged about it to their families. They laughed and cheered each other on in their depravity. Brainwashed by Hamas and their supporters, like Iran, they hated Jews and Israel, even those who were actively working with them, hoping to live together with them in peace. They simply could not comprehend their own failures without blaming Israel instead of those that were really responsible, those keeping them from succeeding in life and making them worship death over life itself.
I cannot summarize the events or the aftermath. You really must read about this actual account, written by a victim of the barbarism that took place, by yourself. He describes every event from the day of his capture to the day of his release, including his interaction with the other hostages and their captors, the horrific places he was hidden, the mistreatment and torture, the savage beatings by brutes, the bestial treatment from both Hamas and ordinary Gazans with whom he came in contact for the lengthy term of his captivity. It is simply impossible for me to put his experience into words that will make the reader comprehend the full force of the suffering and the atrocities committed which is why I suggest that you read it for yourself. It is not a long book, but it is a necessary read for every living human being. Even those in Gaza and Iran and everywhere the enemies of Jews and Israel reside should be forced to read it. The attackers and the Gazans were not the innocent victims, The Israelis were the victims!
Those marching in the street for the Palestinian cause, supporting the barbarians who attacked innocent people, viciously murdering the equivalent of 40,000 human beings of all ages, if it had been in the United States, might stop marching after reading this book. They might actually take their heads out of the sand and realize what barbarism they are supporting. They might actually place the blame where it belongs and stop protesting against those who are innocent of the charges. They might finally learn the truth about the war between Israel and the Arabs. They might find out who was really being starved and who was starving them. The abominable conditions that the hostages experienced were beyond the pale. Those responsible for the attack on Israel, during a ceasefire, should be charged by the International Criminal Court, not Bibi Netanyahu who was merely fighting back, trying to keep his people safe and his country viable, while attempting to find and free the hostages. It is time to stop pretending, for political purposes, that the fault lies with the Jews of Israel and everywhere else. Only one side was attacked. Hopefully, two years later, on the same holiday, Simchat Torah, that was being celebrated when monsters invaded their land and their lives, the hostages will finally be set free, the living dead they made them, and the dead they murdered and might not even know how to find. My heart is heavy because of the despicable behavior that caused the war and because of the despicable behavior of those who used it to advance their propaganda and antisemitism instead of conquering it and bringing peace to the Middle East. Those activists are still trying to sow discontent, as even with the peace plan in process, they continue to march, screaming for the end of Israel, which was always their real aim.
I have to confess that I am a Jew, and while reading the book I alternated between wanting to throw up because of the atrocities committed and wanting to scream from the rooftops. The people out there cheering these barbarians on, the International Criminal Court attacking Israel’s leader, the Palestinians demanding the annihilation of Israel, and the foolish Jews thinking they can change the minds of the haters by being nice to them so they will like them, are on the wrong side of this issue. They need to reverse course and support Israel and the Jews, to support Trump in his effort to bring peace to the region torn apart by war and hate for far too many years.
I don’t blame the Israelis, Netanyahu or the IDF for October 7th. I believe that no one could have predicted the unimaginable and so it was impossible to be prepared for it! Who could have believed that those very same people the community was working with, trying to help them have a better life, would betray them in such a way? The glee of the people committing these barbaric acts, which I will not repeat, was beyond belief and human comprehension. They did not behave like human beings. Their behavior was contemptible and demonic.
I cannot do justice to his account, nor can anyone., The book must be required reading and must be read by every living, breathing human being so they will know the true story behind the Hamas and Gazan attack on Israel. Those who participated and cheered it on should be forced to read it, as well, just as the Germans were forced to view the atrocities they committed. Unfortunately, they proved, by their actions, that evil does exist.