The family of Alon Ohel, who has been held by the Hamas terrorist organization in Gaza for 700 days, released a statement on Friday after Hamas released a video with a sign of life from Alon.
“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 frequent blinking we observe indicates severe difficulty focusing and seeing for extended periods,” the family said.
“No international law permits holding an injured civilian captive without proper medical treatment. The responsibility for Alon’s wellbeing lies with his captors and Hamas leadership, who are obligated to preserve his life and health according to international law,” they added.
“It’s important to remember that Alon is not only an Israeli citizen, but also holds Serbian and German citizenship. The international community will not stand by if Alon’s medical condition deteriorates further.”
“We are working to communicate with the Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs, Steve Witkoff, and official authorities in Serbia and Germany,” stated the Ohel family, which asked the public and media to refrain from publishing the full video or any images of Alon taken from it.
Alon Ohel, from Lavon in the Upper Galilee, had been at the Nova party on October 7, 2023, before he was taken hostage. In June 2024, a video was released of the moments of his kidnapping from the "death shelter" to which many young people who had been partying had fled.
Survivors of captivity Eli Sharabi, Eliya Cohen and Or Levy said, when they were released in the previous hostage deal, that they were held together with Alon, and that he was in serious condition.
(Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)