A family who buried a British mother and her two teenage girls after they were butchered by Hamas have told how they have saved a grave for their hostage father alongside them, as they fear he will not get out of Gaza alive.
Osnat Matalon says she is becoming increasingly fearful for the life of her brother, Eli, 51, who was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists on the same day his wife Lianne, 48, and daughters Noiya, 16, and Yahel, 13, were murdered.
‘When we buried them in our village cemetery, we didn’t know whether we were going to have another funeral,’ says Osnat, 54, who lives in a Moshav, or closed community, half an hour outside of Tel Aviv.
‘We have saved a spot for him. We hope it won’t be used. But we also know time is running out for the hostages.
Bristol born Lianne, who fell in love with Eli Shirabi, 51, while volunteering at Kibbutz Be’eri – one of the worst hit sites on October 7 – was at first thought to have been taken hostage with the girls.
Osnat Matalon and husband Raz fear they will soon bury their relative Eli Sharabi, 51
Dad Eli (pictured, second from left) is still missing, and is believed to be held by Hamas terrorists in Gaza
Mourners gather for the funerals of Lianne, Yahel, Noiya Sharabi – Eli’s wife and daughters
Special plates have been put on the Sharabi graves which say, ‘always loved – never forgotten’
But over three gruelling weeks Osnat, got the call that first Lianne, then Yahel and finally Noiya had all been murdered on the same day.
The last message the family had received from Lianne was a frantic WhatsApp saying she could hear terrorists ‘shooting and shouting, ‘Die Israel’.’
Pathologists later determined the three females had died hugging each other but their bodies were so badly damaged that it was impossible at first to identify them.
The graves have all been designed with Lianne’s British family, who came over for the ‘stone-setting’ 30 days after the funeral. Each of the graves says: ‘Your British family will miss you and keep you in our hearts always.’
The British side of the family also had holograms of Lianne, Noiya and Yahel made for the graves which show them smiling, and special plates to put on the graves which say, ‘always loved – never forgotten’.
Osnat’s other brother Yosi, 53, was also kidnapped from Kibbutz Be’eri on the same day. Miraculously his wife Nira and three children managed to escape from the terrorists. Yosi’s teenage daughter Yuval’s boyfriend Ofir Angel, 17, was kidnapped alongside him but was released as part of the hostage exchange for Palestinian prisoners earlier this month.
The graves have all been designed with Lianne’s British family, who came over for the ‘stone-setting’ 30 days after the funeral
Each of the graves says: ‘Your British family will miss you and keep you in our hearts always’
The British side of the family also had holograms of Lianne, Noiya and Yahel made for the graves which show them smiling
Israeli art therapist Osnat spoke out as hopes were revived for a new humanitarian pause and the release of more hostages.
This follows pressure on Israel after its forces mistakenly shot three of their own who had been kidnapped in Gaza and amid growing criticism of the number of civilians who have been killed by relentless bombings in the built-up Strip.
Hamas has also upped the ante by releasing two new videos of hostages.
Actors including Jerry Seinfeld, Debra Messing and the UK’s Gregg Sulkin have also visited Israel over the last few days to remind the world of the situation of the hostages with the families of the kidnapped becoming increasingly concerned about the safety of their loved ones.
‘All the families feel is the urgency of the danger that the hostages are now in,’ says Osnat’s landscape architect husband Raz, 53.
‘Everyone is behind the army – and we have lost a lot of soldiers in this war – but we are also now scared that the war is getting too close to the head of the kidnapped people.
As the war is going south, there are fewer places Hamas can run to. We know from the hostages that were released that sometimes the army was bombing places close to where they were staying and that they often had to move from place to place.
‘Our army has two goals; to eliminate Hamas and bring the hostages home.
Noam, Ayelet, Hodaya, Noa & Rotem friends of Noiya, were seen mourning the loss of their close friend
Mourners gather at the funeral of Lianne, Noiya and Yahel Sharabi at the Kfar sharif Cemetery
The first thing has to be the hostages; if you think about this as a game of chess Israel is playing against Iran, they have taken our Queen. We need our Queen back.’
Osnat said there was both pain and joy when the first tranche of hostages were released; particularly as they knew many of the other hostage families.
Israel has demanded the further release of women, the elderly and the sick as part of any new hostage deal; it is sadly likely that Osnat will be waiting for her brothers for some time.
‘We feel that there has to be a deal because it seems like it is impossible to rescue them through military attack.
We are asking all our friends in all the countries in the world to support this idea and try and push for a deal to bring all the hostages home,’ she pleads.
And she knows that even if she does get her brothers back safely, she is going to have to break the terrible news to Eli that his family were murdered.
‘I have two brothers with two different stories; different endings,’ she says.
‘It will be hard for both of them. It is going to be so hard for Eli – all of his family has gone.
I can’t even imagine what it will be like for him. But first we need to get him back and then we can help him mend the broken pieces of his heart.’