The family of Israeli hostage Alon Ohel received confirmation on Sunday that he is alive after 492 days in Hamas captivity.

The confirmation was conveyed by the male hostages released on Shabbos who were held with him since his abduction. Ohel is enduring the same harsh conditions they did: little food and deprived of sunlight and access to the most basic human needs. He also is suffering from an eye injury that was never treated and can barely see from that eye.

Alon’s mother, Idit Ohel, told Channel 12 that her son was held with Or Levy and Eli Sharabi. She was told that he suffered injuries to his eye, hand, and shoulder during his abduction and did not receive any medical treatment. He was held in chains during his entire captivity and like the other hostages, received almost no food.

Ohel’s family said in a statement: “We are devastated and horrified by his dire physical and mental state and the abuse he and the other hostages are still enduring. Alon has survived hell until now but time is running out. The release of the hostages cannot be delayed. Every single one of them must be considered a humanitarian case.”

Despite his injuries, Alon is not on the list of 33 hostages included in the current deal.

Ohel, whose 24th birthday is on Monday, is a talented pianist and musician from Lavon, a yishuv in northern Israel. He was abducted on October 7 from what later became known as the “bunker of death” at the Nova music festival.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)