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Eli Sharabi spent 491 days in Hamas captivity — hidden in homes, held in tunnels, and forced to survive the unthinkable. When he finally emerged, Israel rejoiced, but his freedom came with unbearable news: his wife and daughters were among the victims of October 7.

In this powerful conversation, Eli reflects on life before the massacre, the will to survive, and what it means to rebuild after loss. He also speaks about the moral clarity that came from witnessing Hamas up close and why confronting that ideology is central to any hope of peace.

Eli’s memoir, Hostage, has become a global phenomenon — the fastest-selling book in Israel’s history and a #1 New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller. In this raw and unflinching firsthand account, Sharabi offers an unprecedented look inside Hamas captivity, chronicling the starvation, isolation, brutal beatings, and psychological torment he endured — and the extraordinary will to survive that carried him through.

Guest Bio

Eli Sharabi is a former hostage who survived 491 days in Hamas captivity following his abduction from Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7, 2023. Sharabi became a global advocate for the remaining hostages, meeting with world leaders like US President Donald Trump, speaking at the United Nations, and sharing his story with audiences around the world. His memoir, Hostage, the first published account by a released Israeli hostage, became an instant number one bestseller in Hebrew (the fastest selling book in Israeli history) and an instant New York Times (US) and Sunday Times (UK) bestseller.

Born in Tel Aviv to Yemenite and Moroccan parents, Sharabi moved to Be’eri as a teenager and later married Lianne, a British woman with whom he shared two daughters, Noiya and Yahel, aged sixteen and thirteen. A longtime resident of Be’eri, Sharabi served as the Kibbutz’s business manager, as well as the Chief Financial Officer of the Kibbutz, Be’eri Printing, and other private companies in Israel. Sharabi continues to work tirelessly as leading advocate for raising awareness of the October 7th atrocities.

Gazan-born analyst Ahmed Fouad AlKhatib joins Dr. Rachel Fish for a conversation about Gaza after the war’s “freeze.” He explains why the current deal hasn’t solved core problems, how Hamas is using the pause to re-entrench and terrorize rivals, and why outside power in the form of an international stabilization force with real teeth is the only path to disarmament, reconstruction, and a future for Palestinians that isn’t held hostage by Hamas. Rachel and Ahmed also dig into Qatar and Turkey’s roles, UNRWA’s entanglements, and what Western activists miss when “ending Israeli violence” becomes the only objective.

Guest Bio

Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib is the founder of Realign For Palestine, an Atlantic Council project challenging entrenched narratives in the Israel–Palestine discourse and promoting a new, pragmatic framework for Palestinian advocacy. The project cultivates Palestinian voices committed to nonviolence, a two-nation solution, and a break from extremism.

A senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Middle East programs, Alkhatib writes extensively on Gaza’s political and humanitarian challenges and is a prominent critic of Hamas. His work has been featured across U.S., Israeli, and international media, and he is widely followed on social media.

Born and raised in Gaza City, Alkhatib moved to the U.S. in 2005 as a student. His worldview is shaped by the hopes of the Oslo peace process and the trauma of its collapse, alongside the rise of Islamism in Gaza. Since October 7, he has lost 33 family members to Israeli airstrikes but continues to advocate for breaking the cycle of dehumanization, violence, and revenge.

Read More

Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, "The ‘Peace Protesters’ Who Won’t Give Peace a Chance" (The Free Press)

Sam Mednick and Sally Abou Aljoud, Women in Gaza say they were promised food, money or work in exchange for sexual interactions (The Independent)

Send questions and comments to podcast@boundlessisrael.org or message Aviva on X at @AvivaKlompas.

After two years of war, Israel now faces a new kind of battle — the challenge of winning the peace. President Trump’s Gaza plan calls for the demilitarization and deradicalization of Gaza: dismantling Hamas’s weapons and tunnels, building a new Palestinian police force, and bringing in an international coalition to oversee security and reconstruction.

But can Gaza truly be transformed into a terror-free zone? What will it take to keep Hamas and other armed groups from rebuilding? And how does Israel secure long-term stability while navigating complex regional politics?

John Spencer — one of the world’s foremost experts on urban warfare and modern conflict — joins Aviva to explore what success might look like, the risks that remain, and whether peace can finally take root.

Guest Bio:

John Spencer is an award-winning scholar, internationally recognized expert and advisor on urban warfare, military strategy, tactics, and other related topics. Considered one of the world’s leading experts on urban warfare, he served as an advisor to the top four-star general and other senior leaders in the U.S. Army as part of strategic research groups from the Pentagon to the United States Military Academy. John currently serves as the Chair of Urban Warfare Studies at the Madison Policy Forum, Co-Director of the Urban Warfare Project, and host of the Urban Warfare Project podcast.