Rights10/1/2026

Eli Sharabi Called on the UN to Recognize the Treatment of the Hostages as Torture

Eli Sharabi, who was released after 491 days in captivity, appealed to the UN Human Rights Council to recognize the abduction and detention of the hostages in Gaza as torture. He also called for action to open a criminal investigation and bring those responsible to justice, but the source does not report that the council made a decision.

Key facts

•Applicant: Eli Sharabi
•Duration of captivity: 491 days
•After his release: 44 kilograms
•Basis of the report: Testimony from 78 captivity survivors
•Propaganda videos: 68% of the hostages
•Legal instruments: The Rome Statute and the UN Convention against Torture

The Captivity Survivor’s Appeal

Eli Sharabi was abducted from his home on October 7 and held in Hamas tunnels. According to him, while in captivity he was held underground while shackled, starved, beaten and humiliated; after his release, he weighed 44 kilograms. Only after his return did Sharabi learn that his wife, Lianne, and his daughters, Noya and Yael, had been murdered.

What the Report Said

Sharabi presented the council with a report by the Jerusalem Institute of Justice, based on testimony from 78 captivity survivors. It describes the deliberate deprivation of food, lack of medical care, prolonged isolation, harsh detention conditions and psychological terror. According to the report, 68% of the hostages were forced to be filmed for propaganda videos.

The Basis for the Legal Position

The report’s authors examine the acts described in light of the absolute prohibition on torture enshrined in international law. They argue that these practices bear the characteristics of torture and crimes against humanity under the Rome Statute and the UN Convention against Torture, and do not constitute merely arbitrary deprivation of liberty. The institute calls for the application of universal jurisdiction, an investigation into the actions of all those responsible, and recognition of captivity survivors and their family members as victims of torture entitled to rehabilitation and compensation.

The UN Has Yet to Make a Decision

The publication describes Sharabi’s appeal and the public organization’s legal conclusions, but does not report the adoption of a resolution or any other decision by the UN Human Rights Council. It also does not state that a criminal investigation has already been opened following this appeal or that indictments have been filed against anyone.

What this means for you

If international bodies adopt the proposed legal classification, captivity survivors and their family members could demand to be treated as victims of torture, including in matters of rehabilitation and compensation. Such a classification could also serve as a basis for investigations applying universal jurisdiction. For now, the publication reports only on the call and the report, not on a legally binding decision.

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