The family of hostage Alon Ohel on Saturday permitted the publication of a photo from a propaganda video released by Hamas the previous day. The video, which also included hostage Guy Gilboa-Dalal, was the first time Ohel had been seen alive since he was taken hostage along with 250 others during the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
The family asked Israeli media not to publish other footage of him from the video, or details on his appearance in it that they did not share themselves. In the video, Guy Gilboa-Dalal is partly seen above ground, inside a car. He refers to being held captive for 22 months, which could indicate that the footage was filmed recently.
Ohel, 24, a talented pianist, went to the Supernova desert rave with several friends, reaching the party at 5:30 a.m., an hour before the Hamas attack began. Ohel and his friends fled to a field shelter, which was later attacked by terrorists, with many of those inside murdered.
Ohel was taken captive along with Hersh Goldberg-Polin and Eliya Cohen and Or Levy. Goldberg-Polin was murdered in captivity, while the latter two have been released as part of hostage deals.
Ohel’s family received their first sign of life for him during a ceasefire in February, when released hostages reported having been held alongside him. At the time, his mother said she was told that he was being held starving in chains in a Hamas tunnel, and had multiple untreated injuries.
His family said, following the release of the latest vide,o that medical experts had told them he was blind in one eye.
“We were shocked to see Alon’s condition. After consulting with eye specialists in Israel and around the world, it is clear that Alon has lost sight in his right eye,” the family said in a statement.
“The frequent blinking we observe indicates severe difficulty focusing and seeing for extended periods,” it added.
“No international law permits holding an injured civilian captive without proper medical treatment,” the family said. “The responsibility for Alon’s well-being lies with his captors and Hamas leadership, who are obligated to preserve his life and health according to international law.”
Alon’s mother, Idit, told Channel 12 news that she could “hardly recognize” her son in the propaganda video.
“We went through a very difficult weekend, seeing my son. There are moments when I hardly recognize Alony,” Idit told the network. “His voice is broken. It’s absolutely clear that he doesn’t see well; he can’t see with his right eye, and he can’t focus his vision.”
“On the one hand, it was so moving after such a long time not seeing Alon, but on the other hand, it was hard. Hard to see him looking like that,” she added.
In February, the Kan public broadcaster reported that there were indications that Ohel could lose his sight due to shrapnel injuries, among other wounds. The assessment was made based on the testimonies of freed hostages.
The new video was released as a major new Israeli offensive looms in Gaza City, where Gilboa-Dalal said in the clip that he was located. Many hostages’ families have campaigned against the offensive, saying it will put their loved ones’ lives in grave danger and that the only path to freeing them is a deal.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with the families of both hostages following the publication of the video, according to the Prime Minister’s Office.
The PMO stressed that “the war can end immediately under the conditions set by Israel,” listing them as “the release of all our hostages, both the living and the fallen; the disarmament of Hamas; the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip; Israeli security control in the Gaza Strip; and the establishment of an alternative civilian administration that will not pose a threat to Israel.”
“No malicious propaganda video will weaken our resolve or divert us from our determination to achieve these goals,” Netanyahu’s office said,