A survivor of Hamas captivity has called on Australian leaders to condemn anti-Semitism
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A former Hamas hostage-taker told Fox News Digital that he had warned Australian leaders to take anti-Semitism seriously in the months before the deadly Bondi Beach shooting.
Eli Sharabi, who spent 491 days as a hostage in Gaza, said the Bondi Beach attack was “crazy,” but far from unexpected. Sharabi told Fox News Digital that while in Australia in June, he met with Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles and Foreign Minister Penny Wong and warned them that the rise of anti-Semitism would lead to the worst.
Sharabi recalled telling officials that hate crimes would be committed in Australia and that he would “see the terror” of Jewish people walking the streets. He urged them to speak out against anti-Semitism before it is too late.
A RABBI WAS KILLED IN SYDNEY HANUKKAH AND WARNED THE PRIME MINISTER OF AUSTRALIA ABOUT THE CONTINUATION OF ANTISEMITISM.
Rabbi Yossi Friedman speaks to people gathered at a floral memorial at the Bondi Pavilion on Bondi Beach on Tuesday, December 16, 2025, following the shooting in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Baker/AP)
He told Fox News Digital when he told Marles and Wong that, “If it happens, a hate crime here, it will be your responsibility because you have to have a strong voice against antisemitism.” However, Sharabi said she did not know why she told them that at the time.
“Unfortunately, it happened. And that’s crazy, it’s crazy. I’m really, really sorry about that,” he said.
Wong’s spokesman said he “enjoyed his meeting with Eli Sharabi and thanks him for sharing his insights and experiences.”
“Minister Wong has consistently condemned anti-Semitism and anti-Semitic attacks,” the spokesperson said. “In response to the horrific antisemitic terrorist attack in Bondi, we are continuing to strengthen laws against those who spread antisemitism and online harassment, ensuring that our education system is responsive to antisemitism, and lowering the threshold for canceling visas for those coming to Australia to spread religion.”
The spokesperson also extended Wong’s condolences to the loved ones of the Bondi Beach shooting victims.
Sharabi told Fox News Digital that the Hanukkah attack on Bondi Beach, which left at least 15 people dead and dozens more injured, reminded him of the persecution of European Jews in the 1940s.
“Suddenly you feel like it’s the 1940s and, here we are in 2025, 90 years later, all these things are happening again,” said Sharabi.
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A member of the Jewish community reacts as he walks with police towards the scene of the shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney on Dec. 14, 2025. (David Gray/AFP via Getty Images)
On Feb. 8, 2025, Sharabi was released from Hamas captivity, 491 days after he was kidnapped from Kibbutz Be’eri during the Oct. 7, 2023. He did not know until after he was released that his wife, Lianne, and their daughters, Noiya and Yahel, had been killed when Hamas terrorists attacked Israel.
Since his release, Sharabi has traveled the world speaking to Jewish communities, world leaders and various audiences about his experience as a hostage, something he recounts in his book, “Hostage,” which has been translated into several languages.
Israeli hostages Or Levy, Eli Sharabi and Ohad Ben Ami are handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross by Hamas under a ceasefire agreement with Israel, in Deir al Balah, Gaza, on Feb. 8, 2025. (Ashraf Amra/Anadolu via Getty Images)
After he was released, he found out that while he was in the hands of terrorists, there were people praying for him all over the world, wanting him and other hostages to be released.
He said that while he was in the hospital in the days following his release, he gradually learned about the work being done by the people of Israel and around the world to stand up for him and other hostages. It started with revelations about his family and friends, and then he realized that the people of Israel and all over the world also took part in the fight for his release.
He soon joined the fight, advocating for the release of all the hostages, including Alon Ohel, someone Sharabi met while imprisoned.
“It was an amazing feeling to see him released. He’s like my son,” Sharabi told Fox News Digital.
Sharabi said he and Ohel had seen each other a few times as free men and tried to talk every day.
Eli Sharabi, who spent 491 days in Hamas captivity, and his wife and two daughters were killed by terrorists, speaks at the United Nations. (Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)
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Sharabi told Fox News Digital about his life after being kidnapped. Now a free man for almost a year, he said he is grateful for every moment.
“First, I’m alive. Second, I’m free, and I learned that freedom is precious,” he said. “Every morning I wake up, I say thank you so much for what I have and for my freedom, and I can choose whatever I do that day and not ask anyone’s permission to eat or drink or talk,” he told Fox News Digital. “I am happy with my life. The memory of my wife, my daughters and my brother will be with me until my last day.”
Former Hamas hostage Eli Sharabi and Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon hold a family photo of Sharabi showing his wife and daughters, all three of whom were killed on Oct. 7, 2023. (Perry Bindelglass/Israeli UN Mission)
Sharabi told Fox News Digital that when he was incarcerated, he promised himself that he would move his family to London, where they would be able to live a peaceful life. He said he took this decision because of the fear he saw in his daughters eyes on October 7.
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While his plans to move to London have changed, Sharabi finds himself living a peaceful life and focusing on his healing when the body of Ran Gvili, the last remaining hostage in Gaza, is returned to Israel. However, Sharabi said he will not be able to return to Kibbutz Be’eri and will seek a fresh start a little further north in central Israel.
“I can’t go back to Be’eri. It’s something I need to solve with myself and my therapist, yes. How can I get back into my house? For me, living in Be’eri, is not an option. In every room, I see a tragedy,” said Sharabi. “I need a new place, a new start of my life, so it won’t be in Be’eri.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to Marles’ office for comment.
