Latest news with #AlonOhel
DW
6 days ago
- Politics
- DW
Families of Israeli hostages in Gaza rally support in Berlin – DW – 07/11/2025
Hamas continues to hold 59 hostages in Gaza, including seven German-Israeli nationals — five of whom are believed to be alive. Their relatives visited Berlin to call for their release. It has been 642 days since October 7, 2023, when Shachar Ohel's 24-year-old nephew, Alon Ohel, was gravely injured at the Supernova music festival in southern Israel by Hamas-aligned militants and taken to Gaza. Since then, the family's thoughts and emotions have revolved around whether Alon is still alive and how he can be freed from captivity. "We still have hope," Shachar Ohel told DW. Hostages held with Alon were released by Hamas five months ago and have told him about his nephew's condition. "They have been together with him for the whole period of time," Shachar Ohel said. "We know that he is in a very bad condition. He lost his sight in the right eye. There is a real danger for the other eye. He does not get any food. He is starving. He is in a critical condition… We hope he is surviving, because they [Hamas] want him to be alive. Because (otherwise) they have nothing to deal with Israel." Alon Ohel is one of the hostages kidnapped by Hamas — a Palestinian Islamist group based in the Gaza strip — during its October 7 attack on Israel. After several rounds of negotiations, 146 hostages were released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. 83 Hamas hostages have died in captivity, yet Hamas still has not handed over the remains of 35 individuals. 24 hostages are believed to still be alive — with the Bring them Home hostages and missing families forum demanding their immediate release. Relatives and friends of hostages holding joint Israeli and German citizenship have come to Berlin, calling for greater German involvement. Five of the captives are believed to still be alive, two are reported dead. In Berlin, the group is appealing to German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul and President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and others to provide more support. "We have received a lot of sympathy and hugs," says Liran Berman who has two brothers being held captive by Hamas. "But now it's time to act and apply more pressure." Liran Berman and the other relatives are pinning all their hopes on the ongoing ceasefire negotiations between Israel, the US, and Hamas. "We are in the middle of a crisis that we have never had in history. It is on governments, and I believe in diplomacy, to get to a deal," Efrat Machikawa told DW. Five of her relatives were held captive by Hamas at various stages, with four eventually released. A fifth relative was murdered. Efrat is working with other relatives who have come to Berlin to secure the release of the German-Israeli hostages. This does not only involve those sitting at the negotiating table, she said, but also other countries, including Germany, "that have a relationship with those around the table, this is why international community involvement in so important." All Germans should be concerned about this, she said, adding that freeing the hostages is the first step toward improving the terrible situation in the Middle East. Alon Ohel's parents placed a yellow piano in central Tel Aviv in memory of their son, a pianist and jazz lover. Anyone can play it in tribute to Alon. The yellow piano was even brought to Berlin for a solidarity concert. On October 7, 2023, Hamas attacked several Israeli villages and the Supernova music festival near the Gaza Strip, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. In response, the Israeli army began fighting Hamas in the Gaza Strip. According to various unverifiable reports, between 50,000 and 80,000 people have been killed in Gaza since then. Large parts of the Gaza Strip have been destroyed. The humanitarian situation in the territory is catastrophic, according to the UN. Hamas is a militant, Palestinian Islamist group based in Gaza. The European Union, US, Germany, and other countries classify it as a terrorist organization.
Arab News
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Arab News
‘Hostage,' Eli Sharabi's memoir about life in Hamas captivity, is coming to the US
NEW YORK: A memoir by an Israeli man held in captivity for more than a year by Hamas is coming out this fall in the US Eli Sharabi's 'Hostage,' written in Hebrew and already a bestseller in Israel, is the first published memoir by anyone kidnapped by Hamas during the deadly surprise attack of Oct. 7, 2023. Harper Influence, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, announced Tuesday that the English-language edition of his book will come out this Oct. 7, the 2-year anniversary. Sharabi, 53, was released in early February and has said that he had shrunk to under 100 pounds — less than the weight of his youngest daughter, who was killed along with his wife and older daughter. More than 1,000 were killed in the attack and more than 200 taken hostage. 'It was important to me that the story come out as quickly as possible, so that the world will understand what life is like inside captivity,' Sharabi said in a statement. 'Once they do, they will not be able to remain indifferent. But I also want readers to know that even in the darkest of times, you can always seek out the light and choose humanity.' According to Harper Influence, Sharabi writes about his experience with his captors in 'stark, unflinching prose, detailing the relationships the hostages formed with one another, including Alon Ohel, still a hostage in Gaza, with whom Sharabi formed an unbreakable father-son bond.' 'Along the way, Sharabi reveals how his faith gave him the resilience to endure the horrific conditions and overcome mental anguish,' the announcement reads in part.
Associated Press
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
'Hostage,' Eli Sharabi's memoir about life in Hamas captivity, is coming to the US
NEW YORK (AP) — A memoir by an Israeli man held in captivity for more than a year by Hamas is coming out this fall in the U.S. Eli Sharabi's 'Hostage,' written in Hebrew and already a bestseller in Israel, is the first published memoir by anyone kidnapped by Hamas during the deadly surprise attack of Oct. 7, 2023. Harper Influence, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, announced Tuesday that the English-language edition of his book will come out this Oct. 7, the 2-year anniversary. Sharabi, 53, was released in early February and has said that he had shrunk to under 100 pounds — less than the weight of his youngest daughter, who was killed along with his wife and older daughter. More than 1,000 were killed in the attack and more than 200 taken hostage. 'It was important to me that the story come out as quickly as possible, so that the world will understand what life is like inside captivity,' Sharabi said in a statement. 'Once they do, they will not be able to remain indifferent. But I also want readers to know that even in the darkest of times, you can always seek out the light and choose humanity.' According to Harper Influence, Sharabi writes about his experience with his captors in 'stark, unflinching prose, detailing the relationships the hostages formed with one another, including Alon Ohel, still a hostage in Gaza, with whom Sharabi formed an unbreakable father-son bond.' 'Along the way, Sharabi reveals how his faith gave him the resilience to endure the horrific conditions and overcome mental anguish,' the announcement reads in part.
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Serbia's Pres. Vucic to 'Post': I asked my Arab friends to save Israeli hostage Alon Ohel
In an exclusive and wide-ranging interview at the Presidential Palace in Belgrade, President Vučić touched on Serbia-Israel relations, the Gaza war, Serbia's EXPO 2027 exposition, and more. BELGRADE - Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić revealed to The Jerusalem Post last week that he personally appealed to Arab leaders to help secure the release of Israeli-Serbian citizen Alon Ohel, who was abducted by Hamas during the October 7 massacre and held in Gaza for more than 600 days. 'I met his family several times,' Vučić said as part of an exclusive and wide-ranging interview at the Presidential Palace in Belgrade. 'I was so touched by the way they were presenting the case of their son and grandson when they were here. They were so proud and so dignified. They were doing everything in a solemn, serious way, doing everything to help.' The young dual-national was attending the Nova music festival near Re'im when Hamas terrorists stormed into Israel, and last week passed 600 days in captivity. His family revealed in April that they had received information from released hostages that Ohel was now blind in one eye. 'Alon is injured. He lost sight in one eye, and we know that his other eye can be saved,' his father, Kobi Ohel, said at the time. Taken captive on October 7 from the 'death shelter' along with additional hostages, including Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Ohel sustained shrapnel wounds from some of the grenades thrown into the shelter, his mother, Idit, said. He was then physically abused and tortured, his mother said, adding that he received 'disgraceful treatment from Hamas – a 19-year-old sewed him up with needle and thread, with no pain killer.' Vučić described his quiet but determined efforts behind the scenes to gather information and plead for assistance. 'I asked some of my friends in the Middle East for help, and we got some info that he was alive,' Vučić shared. 'Of course, you never know. It is terribly difficult conveying this type of message to the mother who is waiting for her son. But I said to her, 'I cannot guarantee it, but we have information that he is alive.' And then we got official information that he was alive, that he was injured and passing through difficult times.' Vučić added that Serbia had done all it could within its limited capacity, emphasizing the importance of international cooperation in such cases. 'We will always do our best. He is our citizen, he is an Israeli citizen. He is just a young man who has the right to live. We have some friends in the Arab world too, good friends, and I am begging those people to help take care of that young guy and free him as soon as possible. I was really begging my friends for his life.' Vučić has developed excellent ties with many Arab countries during his presidency, most notably United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The Serbian leader reserved special praise for Ohel's family. 'His family is amazing—his grandparents. That was the first time I saw how Israelis and Jewish people are able to bear that type of burden on their shoulders. It was not an easy meeting at all, but this is what I saw. What can you say to a mother who is waiting for her son, and not disappoint their expectations?' Reflecting on the circumstances of Ohel's abduction, Vučić added: 'These people are civilians. Being present at a music festival, listening to the music—that was their biggest sin.' Vučić's comments come amid increasingly warm ties between Serbia and Israel. Israeli President Isaac Herzog visited Belgrade in September 2024, and earlier this year, Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Đurić made an official visit to Israel, reinforcing diplomatic cooperation between the two nations. The full interview with President Vučić, covering Serbia-Israel relations, the Gaza war, Belgrade's EXPO 2027 exposition, and more, will be published later this week in The Jerusalem Post.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Tel Aviv protesters call for hostage release after 600 days in Gaza
Thousands of Israelis gathered in Tel Aviv on Wednesday to demand an end to the war in Gaza and the release of hostages still held by Palestinian militant group Hamas, marking 600 days since their abduction. Crowds assembled at Hostages Square in the centre of the city to draw attention to the fate of the hostages. "Tonight we count 600 days without you. And you are counting the seconds – nearly 52 million seconds," said the mother of hostage Alon Ohel in a speech. Former hostages shared accounts of their time in captivity. "In the tunnels, you don't know if a terrorist will get up one morning and shoot you, or if a bomb will destroy the tunnel where you're sleeping," said Yair Horn, who was freed in February. His brother Eitan is still held captive. Ahead of the demonstration, chaotic scenes unfolded between protesters and police. According to Israeli news portal ynet, about 20 people were detained after occupying the headquarters of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party and blocking nearby streets. The war in Gaza was triggered by the worst massacre in Israel's history, carried out by militants from Hamas and other groups on October 7, 2023. About 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 were taken hostage in the Gaza Strip. There are still 58 hostages in the Gaza Strip, the majority of whom are no longer alive.
