In a chilling account that reveals the brutal reality of Hamas captivity, Israeli hostage Eli Sharabi has detailed his 50-day ordeal in underground tunnels described as "hell holes" infested with maggots and overflowing with sewage.
The powerful memoir, obtained by the Daily Mail, describes how Sharabi was taken hostage during Hamas's October 7th attacks and transported to a labyrinth of tunnels buried 100 feet beneath Gaza.
The Underground Prison
Sharabi recounts being forced into cramped, dark chambers where prisoners were surrounded by bubbling sewage and crawling insects. "The stench was unbearable," he writes. "We were living in our own waste, with maggots covering every surface."
The conditions were deliberately designed to break the prisoners' spirits through humiliation and deprivation. Captives were given minimal food and water while being subjected to constant psychological torment.
Brutal Treatment and Survival
Despite being beaten and subjected to relentless humiliation, Sharabi maintained an iron will to survive. "They could take everything from me - my dignity, my comfort, my freedom - but they couldn't take my determination to see my family again," he reveals.
The memoir describes how prisoners developed secret communication methods and shared survival strategies to maintain morale during the darkest moments of their captivity.
Enduring Psychological Scars
Even after his release, Sharabi continues to grapple with the trauma of his experience. The sounds of dripping water and confined spaces trigger powerful flashbacks to his time in the tunnels.
His account provides one of the most detailed firsthand descriptions of the Hamas tunnel network that has become both a military stronghold and prison for Israeli captives.
The memoir stands as a testament to human resilience in the face of unimaginable adversity and sheds new light on the ongoing hostage crisis in the Middle East conflict.
