Family releases still image of Israeli hostage Alon Ohel from Hamas video

The video, circulated over the weekend, was the first time Ohel had been seen since his abduction.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

The family of Israeli hostage Alon Ohel has permitted the release of a single photograph taken from a propaganda video issued by Hamas.

The video, circulated over the weekend, was the first time Ohel had been seen since his abduction during the October 7, 2023, assault on southern Israel.

Fellow hostage Guy Gilboa-Dalal also appeared in the footage.

Speaking to Channel 12, Ohel’s mother, Idit, described the ordeal of watching the video and confronting her son’s deteriorated condition.

“We went through a very difficult weekend, seeing my son. There are moments when I hardly recognize Alony,” she said.

She went on to note visible signs of decline. “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,” she explained.

The experience, she said, left her torn between relief and pain. “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.

To avoid giving Hamas wider exposure for its propaganda, the Ohel family requested that Israeli broadcasters refrain from airing the video in full.

Instead, they authorized media outlets to use one approved still image, which was published Monday evening.

For the first time in nearly a year, the footage offered confirmation of Ohel’s condition.

Both he and Gilboa-Dalal were among the 250 people taken hostage during Hamas’s October 7 attack, which plunged Israel into its current war with Gaza.