A Goodbye Breathe
"The First Time I Can Breathe": Yossi Sharabi's Daughter's Heartbreaking Final Farewell
Daughter Yuval and fellow captive Ofir Engel share moving tributes at funeral of Yossi Sharabi, whose remains were recovered from Gaza after two years in Hamas captivity.
The Sharabi family today gathered to say goodbye to Yossi Sharabi, whose body was recovered from Gaza after he was held captive for two years following the October 7, 2023, attack. The emotional farewell was marked by powerful tributes from his daughter and a fellow survivor, illuminating the darkness and deprivation he endured.
Yossi Sharabi, who was kidnapped from his home in Kibbutz Be’eri, was confirmed to have been killed in captivity. His remains were recently recovered by the IDF.
Daughter Finds Peace in His Return
Yossi Sharabi's daughter, Yuval Sharabi, delivered a heartbreaking eulogy, acknowledging the painful end to their two-year-long battle to bring him home.
“After two years, this is the first time I truly manage to breathe,” Yuval said. “You are finally home. Not in the way I wanted you to return to me, but at least now you can rest and connect to the serenity that was always within you.”
Survivor Details Shared Ordeal in Captivity
The most intimate details of Yossi Sharabi's final months were shared by Ofir Engel, a fellow survivor and Yuval Sharabi’s partner, who spent 60 days imprisoned with Yossi in Gaza before his own release.
Engel recounted the intense bond and survival tactics they shared during their most desperate days.
“What you were for me during my hardest days, days when I felt between life and death,” Engel began, noting the last time he saw Yossi alive was when they were separated in Gaza.
Engel painted a picture of shared humanity in the face of terror:
“In the two months we were together, closed in a small room, hungry, afraid, you looked out for me. You shared the meager food we had there, so we would be less hungry.”
He recalled Yossi's deep love for his family, despite the paralyzing fear of the unknown. They spoke often of Yossi's daughters with great anxiety, but also of simple pleasures:
“You spoke about the sea, how much you love it, how much you miss it, how much you want to return and surf.”
The Unread Farewell Letter
Engel revealed one of the most poignant moments they experienced being forced by terrorists to write farewell letters under the belief they would be executed the next day.
“On that day, when the terrorists came and asked us to write a farewell letter to our families because tomorrow they would kill us, I didn't get to see the letter you wrote,” Engel confessed, his voice heavy with regret. “I am so sorry for the words I didn't read, that I cannot share with Nira and your daughters what you wrote to them.”
He concluded by celebrating the tireless effort of Yossi’s family: his wife Nira, and daughters Yuval, Ofir, and Oren, stating,
“They fought for you like lionesses. They did not give up, they did not despair, they did everything to bring you home, with insane love and strength.”