Herzog meets with ex-hostage Eli Sharabi as memoir heads toward international release

President Isaac Herzog meets with former hostage Eli Sharabi ahead of the international release of Sharabi’s memoir telling of his 491 days in Hamas captivity.

During their meeting at the President’s Residence, Herzog and Sharabi call on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and United States President Donald Trump to realize the full potential for a hostage deal during Netanyahu’s visit to Washington this week.

“I ask both the president of the United States and the prime minister of Israel to make the final effort and bring this to an end,” says Sharabi. “This is the moment. We are waiting and hoping.”

Herzog responds: “Eli’s plea is the plea of all of us, it is my plea: to do everything in our power to complete this mission and bring everyone home without delay. I sincerely hope that the efforts in Washington… will finally bear fruit.”

Sharabi, who was abducted by Hamas from his home in Kibbutz Be’eri during the October 7, 2023, massacre, tells Herzog that an English translation of his memoir will be published in the United States on the second anniversary of the attack later this year.

Sharabi adds that the decision to translate the book, which Herzog calls “shattering, emotional, and heartbreaking,” was made to preserve it “for years to come, for future generations.”

“I hope the book, which will be published in additional languages, will contribute to the public diplomacy effort that Israel so badly needs. In that arena, we too often lose ground,” Sharabi says.