Or Levy is one of the primary fellow hostages with whom Sharabi is held during the later stages of captivity. Kidnapped from the Nova music festival, Or shares extended periods of confinement with Sharabi, including time in the tunnels immediately preceding their release. Their relationship is marked by mutual reliance, quiet conversation, and shared uncertainty.

Throughout the memoir, Or is depicted as emotionally vulnerable yet resilient. Sharabi frequently notes Or’s anxiety, physical exhaustion, and oscillation between hope and despair, especially regarding the fate of his wife, Einav. These moments underscore the psychological toll of prolonged captivity and the difficulty of sustaining hope in the absence of reliable information.

Or’s presence allows the memoir to explore companionship as a survival mechanism. The two men monitor one another’s emotional states, exchange fragments of news, and brace each other for potential outcomes. Or’s eventual learning of his wife’s death after release further emphasizes one of the memoir’s central tensions: that liberation does not resolve grief and that survival often entails confronting unbearable truths.

Ohad Ben Ami is a longtime friend of Sharabi from Kibbutz Be’eri and a fellow hostage who reunites with him in captivity shortly before their release. Their shared history—working together in kibbutz administration and raising families in the same community—creates an immediate bond rooted in trust and familiarity.

In captivity, Ohad emerges as a stabilizing presence and informal leader. He describes advocating on behalf of younger hostages, negotiating with captors to reduce violence, and managing group dynamics under extreme conditions. His actions highlight the role of moral authority and interpersonal skills in navigating captivity.

Ohad also serves as a conduit of information, sharing news he learned while held elsewhere, including developments in the war and the deaths of other hostages. These revelations profoundly affect Sharabi and Or, reshaping their understanding of earlier moments of hope. Ohad’s presence reinforces the memoir’s focus on collective endurance and the heavy responsibility borne by those who survive longer and know more.

Lianne Sharabi, Eli Sharabi’s wife, is a central emotional presence throughout the memoir, though she does not appear directly in the narrative until after his release. During captivity, Sharabi repeatedly returns to thoughts of Lianne as a source of motivation and imagined reunion, structuring his will to survive around the hope of returning to his family.

Following Sharabi’s release, it is revealed that Lianne was murdered during the October 7 attack, along with the couple’s two daughters. This revelation reframes much of the memoir retrospectively, underscoring the tragic disconnect between hope sustained in captivity and the reality that awaits outside.

Lianne’s role in the book is defined by her absence. She represents the life Sharabi believed he was fighting to reclaim and the devastating cost of violence borne by civilians. Her presence shapes the memoir’s exploration of grief, survival, and the limits of endurance, particularly in its final chapters.

Noiya Sharabi is Eli Sharabi’s elder daughter, referenced throughout the memoir as part of the family he envisions returning to. In captivity, Sharabi frequently recalls everyday details of family life, using memories of his children as emotional anchors during periods of despair.

After Sharabi’s release, he learns that Noiya was murdered on October 7 alongside her mother and younger sister. This knowledge fundamentally alters the meaning of Sharabi’s survival, transforming anticipated reunion into irreversible loss.

Noiya’s role in the memoir highlights the vulnerability of children in conflict and the indiscriminate nature of violence against civilians. Though she does not appear as a speaking character, her presence is integral to the memoir’s emotional structure, embodying both the hope that sustains Sharabi and the grief that ultimately confronts him.

Yahel Sharabi, Eli Sharabi’s younger daughter, is similarly evoked through memory and imagined future rather than direct action. Sharabi recalls her personality, routines, and closeness with extended family, particularly in moments when he struggles to endure physical and psychological hardship.

The post-release confirmation of Yahel’s death, alongside her mother and sister, intensifies the memoir’s confrontation with loss. Sharabi’s restrained description of learning this truth underscores the cumulative weight of grief and the way trauma can delay emotional collapse.

Yahel’s figure reinforces one of the memoir’s central themes: that survival does not equate to restoration. Her absence sharpens the book’s meditation on what remains after captivity ends and how love, memory, and responsibility persist even in the face of irreversible loss.

Yossi Sharabi is Eli Sharabi’s older brother, also abducted during the October 7 attack. For much of the memoir, Eli remains uncertain about Yossi’s fate, receiving conflicting and unreliable information from captors. This uncertainty mirrors the broader informational deprivation imposed on hostages.

Yossi’s death is eventually confirmed after Eli’s release, deepening the personal toll of the events described. The delayed revelation highlights the psychological cruelty of captivity, in which knowledge itself becomes a weapon.

Yossi’s role in the memoir emphasizes familial bonds and shared history. His loss compounds Eli Sharabi’s grief and underscores the scale of devastation experienced by families and communities affected by the attack, particularly Kibbutz Be’eri.