Hamas Releases New Hostage Video Featuring Alon Ohel, Family Expresses Distress Over His Condition

Hamas Publishes New Hostage Footage of Alon Ohel

Hamas released a new video on Monday, September 22, 2025, featuring Israeli captive Alon Ohel, who has been held in Gaza since the October 7, 2023, attacks. The footage, which emerged on the eve of Rosh Hashanah, marks the second time this month that Hamas has published a video of Ohel, following an earlier release on September 5, 2025.

Alon Ohel, a 24-year-old Israeli-German citizen and talented musician, was abducted from the Nova music festival near Kibbutz Re'im during the widespread attacks by Hamas on October 7, 2023. He was reportedly captured while seeking shelter on Route 232.

Ohel's Plea and Deteriorating Health

In the recently released video, Ohel, dressed in a black T-shirt, is seen appealing directly to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to secure the release of all hostages. He also urged his family to continue their protests against the Israeli government to press for their freedom. The video depicts Ohel speaking while observing a television screen displaying Netanyahu, with a militant holding a gun seen tapping Ohel's shoulder.

Ohel's family, Idit and Kobi Ohel, along with medical experts who reviewed the footage, expressed profound concern over his visibly deteriorating health. They stated that Alon appears 'thin, frightened, and losing vision in his right eye.' Previous testimonies from released captives who were held with Ohel indicated that he had sustained shrapnel injuries, was blinded in his right eye, and was kept in chains within a Hamas tunnel.

Family's Anguish and Demands

The release of the video left Ohel's parents 'shaken and in pain.' They condemned the footage as 'psychological terrorism' and made a public appeal for media outlets and the public not to share the video or any images from it. The Ohel family has urgently demanded that ophthalmologists be granted access to examine and treat Alon, stipulating this as a condition for any future negotiations or aid to Hamas. They underscored that the paramount national priority is the safe return of Alon and all other hostages.

Context of Hostage Releases and Negotiations

Hamas's consistent release of such videos is widely interpreted as a tactic of psychological warfare, aimed at increasing pressure on Israel amidst ongoing and often stalled negotiations for a hostage exchange deal. The earlier video released on September 5 also showed Ohel alongside fellow captive Guy Gilboa-Dalal.

As of September 2025, a total of 48 hostages are believed to remain in Gaza, with Israeli intelligence estimating that approximately 20 of them are still alive.