Almost 500 days after being taken by Hamas from a roadside bomb shelter in southern Israel, Alon Ohel was able to send a message from the Gaza tunnel where he is being held captive by Palestinian fighters.
He conveyed a birthday greeting for his sister through two other captives who were released on Saturday, according to his mother, Idit Ohel. While she is thrilled to learn that her son is alive, she struggles to sleep knowing the harsh conditions he faces.
“Alon has been in the tunnels all this time,” Ohel told Reuters. “[He] hasn’t seen sunlight, doesn’t know the difference between day and night, and has received very little food – about one piece of bread a day.”
Alon, a pianist, turned 24 on Monday. He was injured by a grenade that was thrown into the bomb shelter where he and nearly 30 others were taking refuge on October 7, 2023, while fleeing an attack by Hamas gunmen at a music festival.
“He cannot see out of his right eye due to the shrapnel,” Ohel said. “And he has shackles on his legs.”
