Sharon Sharabi, the brother of former hostage Eli Sharabi and slain hostage Yossi Sharabi, entered politics on Monday, joining Avigdor Liberman’s right-wing opposition party, Yisrael Beytenu.

Sharabi first entered the public eye as a prominent advocate for the release of the hostages abducted to Gaza during the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack. Among the 251 hostages snatched from dozens of communities across southern Israel were his brothers Eli and Yossi, who were abducted from their homes in Kibbutz Be’eri.

Yossi was killed in captivity in January 2024, likely as an inadvertent result of an Israeli airstrike, while Eli was released in February 2025. Upon his release, Eli discovered that his wife Lianne and their teen daughters, Noiya and Yahel, had been killed on October 7.

Sharabi “has emerged as one of the most prominent, responsible, and unifying voices in Israeli society,” Yisrael Beytenu said of his entry to the party ahead of this year’s elections, which must be held no later than October 27. “Amidst his painful personal and family story, he worked for the return of the hostages, with sensitivity and determination — and touched the hearts of many Israelis from all corners of society.”

Sharabi, who is religiously observant, said he was joining Yisrael Beytenu despite its staunchly secular character out of a “deep responsibility toward Israeli society as a whole.”

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