Eli Sharabi in an interview with i24NEWS: "For me, bereavement happens every day"

Former hostage Eli Sharabi speaks to i24NEWS ahead of the families' ceremony marking the October 7 massacre. He describes complex emotions, the daily pain of losing his wife Lian and daughters Yael and Noya, and the hope that they are proud of him.

Former hostage Eli Sharabi spoke to i24NEWS ahead of the families' ceremony marking the anniversary of the October 7 massacre, which he is hosting. In the interview, he recounted his feelings from the memorial ceremony in Be'eri, which he attended this morning, and described the emotional complexity: "The feelings are not simple - it's very complex. Each family was around their grave. Among them was also the grave of my brother Yossi. After that, we went to the cemetery where my wife Lian and my daughters Yael and Noya are buried. This ceremony definitely becomes harder year after year." Sharabi shared that the reactions from the public and media, and the 50,000 attendees expected at the families' ceremony, give the day a different dimension and warm the heart. He called for setting aside disagreements, emphasizing that memory has no political affiliation. Sharabi said that his wife and daughters are always with him, and he talks to them constantly. He expressed hope that they are proud of him, noting that everything he has done in the last 20 months is the promise he made to them over their grave. He added that his wife would probably laugh at him for writing a book in the end, since he doesn't read books.