DAY 491 IN CAPTIVITY • DAY 21 OF THE CEASEFIRE: Eli Sharabi, Or Levy, and Ohad Ben Ami Return Home Emaciated and Gaunt
Tel Aviv Diary, February 8, 2025
∞–––––∞–––––∞–––––∞–––––∞–––––∞–––––∞–––––∞–––––∞
Our Next ZOOM BRIEFING will take place on Sunday, February 9th
6 PM Israel Time • 4 PM GB • 11 AM EST • 8 AM PST
Invitations will go out tomorrow morning
∞–––––∞–––––∞–––––∞–––––∞–––––∞–––––∞–––––∞–––––∞
I am heading to America in March—mainly to enjoy a trip to Disney with my grandchildren. However, I also wanted to spread the word that I will be available to address groups between March 13-15 and March 20-23. Looking forward to catching up!
∞–––––∞–––––∞–––––∞–––––∞–––––∞–––––∞–––––∞–––––∞
Friday was a tense day in Israel as we awaited the list from Hamas detailing the hostages set to be released today. The anticipation was for a 4 PM release, but the list arrived nearly three hours later, around 7 PM.
Today’s hostage release took place in Deir al-Balah, located in central Gaza—a location the IDF had avoided entering, fearing that hostages might be held there. I recall being in Deir al-Balah nearly 45 years ago during reserve duty, when it was just a sleepy little village. From what I can observe on the TV screen, it is evident that Deir al-Balah has undergone significant growth and transformation.
The planned release of the hostages was initially set for around 8:30am, but was delayed until shortly after 11:00am. At that time, Eli Sharabi, Or Levy, and Ohad Ben Ami emerged from Hamas-controlled vehicles. The individuals who exited the vehicles looked drastically different from the men who had been abducted on October 7. Onstage, the hostages were compelled to deliver statements. Their appearances were shocking—they resembled Holocaust survivors, having lost significant weight and appearing extremely frail
.
During previous hostage releases, we saw images of families and friends celebrating. However, this time, the reaction was markedly different—characterized more by shock than joy. While it was crucially important that these hostages were released alive, the visuals were profoundly disturbing. The typically jubilant mood of the crowds gathered at Hostage Square was significantly more subdued compared to earlier releases.
Despite the distressing initial images, the day proceeded as before, with a handover of the hostages between the Red Cross and the IDF.
The IDF then transported the three men to the Re’em Army base, where they were reunited with their immediate families for the first time.
After about an hour at Re’em, they departed the base and flew to hospitals.
There, we witnessed the deeply emotional reunions with their families once again.
For Eli Sharabi, it was an undeniably ambivalent and heartrending day. Previously unaware that his wife and two daughters had all been murdered on October 7, Sharabi was returning to an empty home, despite the love and affection of his very large extended family.
Ohad Ben Ami returned to the welcome embrace of his wife, who had returned in the first exchange over a year ago, and his three daughters.
Or Levy was also returning to a life without his wife, who had also been murdered on that same tragic day. However, Levy’s three-year-old son was waiting for him. The toddler’s first words to his father were, “Daddy, you took too long to come home!”
Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office issued a statement from Washington, where he and his wife are spending the weekend at the Willard Hotel, announcing that Israel will respond to Hamas's treatment of the hostages during their highly-staged release.
STATEMENT REGARDING HOSTAGES FROM PRESIDENT OF ISRAEL, ISAAC HERZOG:
This is what a crime against humanity looks like! The whole world must look directly at Ohad, Or, and Eli—returning after 491 days of hell, starved, emaciated and pained—being exploited in a cynical and cruel spectacle by vile murderers. We take solace in the fact that they are being returned alive to the arms of their loved ones.
Since her release from captivity, Raz, Ohad’s wife, along with their three brave daughters—Yuli, Ella, and Natalie—have led a determined struggle in Israel and around the world for his return.
Or and his wife Einav went to celebrate at the Nova festival. Hamas terrorists murdered Einav and abducted Or to Gaza. Their son, Almog—"Mogi"—only three years old, was cared for by their loving family members through this terrible ordeal, and finally has his daddy back.
The tragedy of the Sharabi family is etched into the nation’s consciousness. Eli’s wife, Lianne, and their two daughters, Noiya and Yahel, were murdered on October 7 in Be’eri. His brother, Yossi, was kidnapped and did not survive captivity—we must bring him back to be laid to rest in dignity. Eli and Yossi’s mother, Hanna, and their siblings Sharon and Osnat have dedicated all their strength to the struggle for their return, together with their incredible family.
Completing the hostage deal is a humanitarian, moral, and Jewish duty. It is essential to bring back all our sisters and brothers from the hell of captivity in Gaza—every last one of them!
FORMER DEFENSE MINISTER GALLANT BREAKS HIS SILENCE
Both veteran journalist Nadav Eyal of Yediot Ahronot newspaper and seasoned Channel 12 news anchors Yonit Levy and Amit Segal conducted extensive interviews on Thursday night with former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. Gallant was dismissed by Netanyahu due to his refusal to support a bill that would exempt the ultra-Orthodox from military conscription.
In the interview, Gallant offered numerous insightful remarks that are certainly worthy of attention as we document the initial chapters of the history of this war. However, what is very relevant tonight—as we anticipate the continued release of hostages—is the segment of these interviews focusing on the hostage release.
Here is the translation of a lengthy tweet posted today by Nadav Eyal:
Did you see the hostages [released this morning]? Here’s what Gallant tells me about the sabotage of the deal in April. About a deadly, intentional leak. This is a terrible story, one that ultimately harmed the hostages. Now, I know, and you know, that the “poison machine” was activated with unprecedented intensity against this interview [with Gallant]. And not everything in Gallant’s version of what happened should be taken as absolute truth. But this story—this requires an investigation on its own.
And this is what Netanyahu’s Defense Minister said:
“This formula was on the table in April [For the current ceasefire/hostage release deal]. It was discussed in a war cabinet meeting, where a unanimous decision was made. A mandate was given to shape the negotiations, stating that the deal aimed for 33 hostages but could go as low as 18 as a minimum threshold during the negotiation. There was absolute consensus on this among all security officials and all ministers. The Prime Minister accepted it. This happened in the afternoon, during Passover.”
“But then something very unusual happened. Gallant describes it factually. But the facts are quite shocking. A few hours later, toward the evening, a general cabinet meeting was held, and Finance Minister Smotrich came in and said, ‘There’s a deal for 18, and we will leave the government if this goes through.’ He was not even supposed to know about it. The ministers didn’t understand what he was talking about.”
Q: This is crucial. Let me get this straight—you’re saying Israel’s minimum negotiating position was set, stating that there would be no deal without the release of at least 18 hostages. That was a state secret, and no one was supposed to know it for obvious reasons—so that Hamas wouldn’t set 18 as their final demand. And yet, just a few hours after that decision was made in a restricted setting, it was leaked to the Finance Minister, who then publicly declared it in the general cabinet meeting. Let’s be honest—that’s almost like announcing it from the Knesset podium in terms of the likelihood it would leak further.
“And a few hours later, it did leak to the media. The number reported was 18. This happened while negotiations were ongoing between Shin Bet representatives and the Egyptians. I received a report that, following our decision regarding the Nitzanim axis and the goal of 33 hostages, the Egyptians said there was a breakthrough, and progress was possible. A day or two later, the information we received was that Hamas told the mediators, ‘They are talking to us about 33, but in Israeli media, they are saying 18, so why should we agree to 33? We can get it for a lower price.’ And the whole deal collapsed. The next time it was revived was at the end of May, in President Biden’s speech.”
But what happened with this leak?
“I don’t know.”
Did you speak to the Prime Minister about it?
“Yes. I don’t want to elaborate.”
Gallant may not want to elaborate, but reports indicate that Netanyahu called him in shock (real or fake, opinions differ) and told him that everything had fallen apart now that the details had leaked to the media, and that they would have to “change the negotiation mandate.” In response, the Defense Minister demanded that Benny Gantz be put on the call and told Netanyahu that if he was backtracking, they would need to reconvene the war cabinet for a new vote. Netanyahu backed down. The security establishment suspected that Netanyahu’s own people leaked the minimum position to Smotrich to sabotage the deal. Washington suspected the same.
Gallant: “This deal could have been finalized even after President Biden’s speech—once we clarified the two components of the agreement, known as Clauses 8 and 14. On July 3rd, Hamas agreed to these terms. I personally told the hostage families that the conditions were set. And I believe that even then, the conditions were ripe. But we didn’t respond. We didn’t respond, by the way, until July 28th. On July 28th, [remaining at] the Philadelphi Corridor was added as an Israeli condition. I told Netanyahu: If Hamas has given us an answer that they are willing, and we are about to respond with a rejection, then at least let’s wait one day instead of wasting three weeks. Why delay? We need to act quickly.”
“In reality, we could have secured the same deal with more hostages at a lower cost because an additional 110 life-sentenced terrorists were added to the deal later. What you see today and what was available in July—it’s the same thing.”
THE COST OF TODAY’S HOSTAGE RELEASE
Today’s release came at a cost: the release of Palestinian terrorist prisoners
A total of 183 Palestinian prisoners were released:
• 111 Gazans who were arrested after the start of the war.
• 42 prisoners will be released back to the West Bank.
• 20 prisoners will be released to Gaza.
• 7 prisoners serving life sentences will be deported abroad.
• 3 prisoners will be released to East Jerusalem.
So, where do we stand right now?
Netanyahu’s office announced that after today’s release, he ordered a lower-level delegation to travel to Doha to negotiate the technical details of the remainder of the current release. He stated that only after the security cabinet meets—following his return from Washington—will a delegation be authorized to begin negotiations on the next stage of the agreement.
According to the agreement Israel already signed, second stage negotiations were supposed to start last Monday—meaning that at the moment, we are technically in violation of the agreement.
I had a conversation with a friend tonight about the situation and the implications of the Trump plan. He referenced something I had noted in my diary last week—suggesting that perhaps the Trump plan was intended to provide Netanyahu with the justification needed to advance to the second stage, which was purportedly desired by Netanyahu in conjunction with the Saudi deal. I had concurred with that notion, but Netanyahu’s recent actions appear more like efforts to withdraw from the deal rather than to push it to completion.
This is purely speculative, but it’s possible that Netanyahu realized in Washington that the cost of the Saudi deal was higher than he initially anticipated. Consequently, he might now be in a defensive mode, concentrating on maintaining his coalition instead of prioritizing the release of the hostages. It's just a concern, but not without basis.
Tonight, Netanyahu issued another statement reaffirming his commitment to removing Hamas from power and securing the return of the remaining hostages. In other words, unless Hamas unexpectedly decides to surrender, it is highly unlikely that the second group of hostages will be released soon.
A WORTHWHILE READ
This article by Fred Maroun, featured in the Times of Israel, titled “With Trump, Many Arab Americans Are Getting What They Deserve” discusses how voters, who should have been concerned about the suffering in Gaza, prioritized their disdain for Israel over the well-being of Palestinians.
BUSINESS
Island Company, which develops a browser for enterprise employees, is raising additional funding at a valuation of $4.5 billion in a round led by Coatue, according to a Bloomberg report published today (Saturday). In its previous funding round announced in April 2024, Island raised $175 million at a valuation of $3 billion, in a round co-led by Coatue and Sequoia.
Island was founded in 2020 by American Michael Fey (CEO), formerly the CTO of McAfee and a senior executive at a startup that was acquired by Symantec for $4.5 billion, and by Israeli Dan Amiga (CTO), who previously sold Fireglass to Symantec for $250 million. The company, which operates out of Tel Aviv and Dallas, Texas, launched its browser—designed for large enterprises—in 2022. According to PitchBook, Island has raised a total of $550 million to date.
∞–––––∞–––––∞–––––∞–––––∞–––––∞–––––∞–––––∞–––––∞
JOURNEY ACROSS ISRAEL
Hadera
Our next destination on our trip is Hadera, a city with just slightly over 100,000 residents, which was developed slightly inland from the sea, but has since expanded to the area along the shore.
Hadera was established on January 24, 1891, by Jewish immigrants from Lithuania and Latvia, who were members of the Hovevei Zion movement. The land was purchased by Yehoshua Hankin from a Christian effendi named Selim Khuri. Hadera was initially challenging for settlement due to its largely swampy terrain. The city's name, derived from the Arabic "al-Khudeira," meaning "green," reflects the lush vegetation of the area.
The settlers in Hadera faced significant hardships, particularly outbreaks of malaria exacerbated by the surrounding swamps. With financial backing from Baron Edmond de Rothschild, extensive efforts were made to drain the swamps, including planting eucalyptus trees to absorb excess water. Despite these varied endeavors, the harsh conditions took a toll; out of a population of 540 pioneer residents, 210 succumbed to malaria. The community’s resilience is encapsulated in the city’s emblem, which features the biblical verse: “Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy.” (Psalms 126:5)
During the British Mandate era, Hadera evolved into a regional economic center. By 1913, the settlement had expanded to include forty households, fields, and vineyards, covering approximately 30,000 dunams. The population continued to grow, reaching 2,002 by 1931. In the mid-1930s, the central synagogue was constructed within the inner courtyard of the original khan (caravanserai), serving both religious and defensive purposes.
Following the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, Hadera’s population increased significantly, bolstered by immigrants from Europe and Yemen. In 1953, Israel’s first paper mill was inaugurated in Hadera, marking a pivotal moment in the city’s industrial development. New neighborhoods, such as Givat Olga on the coast and Beit Eliezer in the east, were established to accommodate the growing population. Hadera was officially declared a city in 1952.
In the 1990s, Hadera absorbed a substantial number of immigrants from the former Soviet Union and Ethiopia, contributing to its cultural diversity. The city also faced challenges during periods of regional conflict, including terrorist attacks during the Second Intifada and rocket strikes during the 2006 Lebanon War. In recent years, Hadera has focused on urban renewal, developing new neighborhoods, and enhancing its infrastructure, including the construction of one of the world’s largest desalination plants.
Throughout its history, Hadera has transformed from a malaria-ridden swamp to a thriving city, exemplifying the determination and resilience of its inhabitants.
Here are a number of key attractions to check out in Hadera today:
Hadera River Park: This park stretches across the banks of the Hadera River estuary. It features lawns, seating areas, playgrounds, outdoor gym equipment, and a eucalyptus grove. The park is adjacent to the Orot Rabin Power Station, where warm water outflows attract sandbar and dusky sharks during the winter months, offering a unique opportunity for shark observation.
Khan Museum: Located in a historic khan (caravanserai), the museum showcases the history of Hadera, including its founding in 1891 by Jewish immigrants and the challenges they faced, such as malaria and swamp drainage. Exhibits include photographs, artifacts, and documents that narrate the city’s development.
Olga Beach and Tel Gador Nature Reserve: Olga Beach offers a picturesque Mediterranean coastline ideal for swimming and relaxation. Adjacent to it, the Tel Gador Nature Reserve features sandstone cliffs, diverse flora, and archaeological sites. The area is also known for sea turtle nesting sites and a variety of seabirds.
Technoda – Hadera: An interactive science museum offering educational activities in fields like physics, biology, and astronomy. The facility includes advanced laboratories, an astronomy observatory, a planetarium, and a Science Park with exhibits on energy, acoustics, and aviation. In 2020, a Museum of Medicine was inaugurated, featuring interactive exhibits on the human body and medical procedures.
Shvil HaTapuzim (The Orange Path): A family-friendly attraction offering various activities such as fruit picking, petting zoos, and adventure courses. It’s an ideal spot for children to learn about agriculture and nature in an engaging environment.
The Salt & Pepper Museum: A unique museum dedicated to salt and pepper shakers, showcasing a vast collection from different periods and regions. It’s a quirky and interesting stop for those interested in culinary history and collectibles.
These attractions offer a blend of natural beauty, historical insight, and educational experiences, making Hadera a diverse destination for visitors.
Lastly, two of the more notable residents of Hadera include Avshalom Feinberg and Moshe Kahlon. Originally from Gadera, Avshalom Feinberg was a key member of the Nili espionage network during World War I and later settled in Hadera. Moshe Kahlon, another prominent resident, was born in Hadera's Giv'at Olga neighborhood and has served as a distinguished Israeli politician and former Minister of Finance.