Kobi and Idit Ohel, the parents of hostage Alon, spoke on the phone with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after they reached out to him in a public letter requesting a meeting.
The parents requested the call following Or Levy's testimony about Alon's medical condition, who is "on the verge of blindness" due to a severe injury to his eye and suffers from shrapnel in all parts of his body.
"In the conversation with Netanyahu, I felt that they heard us," Kobi said today. "The Prime Minister knows how difficult Alon's situation is and that he needs to be rescued as quickly as possible."
"Beyond that, the conversation between us was personal, and I won’t elaborate on it," added Kobi, who came out of it feeling encouraged. "I will say that we are ready to talk to anyone who is willing to talk to us. We had one meeting with the chief negotiator Ron Dermer, and we would be happy to meet with him and anyone who can help us and Alon."
"Alon has an eye injury from October 7th," Kobi said. "From consultations with experts, we understood that he is currently in mortal danger. The injury to his right eye could also affect his left eye, and if we bring him today for treatment, it could be possible to address it, so that’s our proposal. We heard about the starvation and that he is chained up, and there’s a mortal danger from the infections that could occur to him," the father added. "In fact, since the first deal ended in December 2023, Alon has been underground. Imagine what these conditions do, in addition to being starved and in chains."
"When I see the other hostages, I recognize they are in bad shape, but recovering," the father said. "My son is still there, and his story might not end in recovery."
Other hostages tried to give encouraging news about Alon: "He knows how to count the days, so he knew about birthdays. Those who returned know us, our names and experiences, and know what we and Alon like to do. It gives us optimism and makes us realize that his rehabilitation will not be easy but still possible. We need to take care of him physically and mentally as soon as possible."
Kobi added that "the Israeli public is with us, and you can see it in the squares and streets, but people are getting used to it. They tell us 'we are with you', but soon Passover is coming, and everyone is planning vacations and moving on with their lives and routines, while Alon is still not. He is still held captive. He was supposed to start his studies soon, but he is unable to realize his dreams. The country is going back to routine but I can’t; I’m not making plans. I live in October 7th and do everything possible to rescue Alon."
"We are certain that Alon is in a serious condition," Kobi concluded. "He is losing his eyesight. Alon must come home; he is a young man with plans he needs to fulfill. It is unimaginable for a boy who was kidnapped from a party he attended to celebrate life to be held captive for so long in Gaza. He cries out from the tunnel; we cry out along with him. We ask every father and mother to think of their children and the situation I am in. Think to yourselves, can you imagine the situation me and my son face?"