Following Israel’s June 13 preemptive strike on Iran, Idit and Kobi Ohel, the parents of Hamas hostage Alon Ohel, appealed to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and international mediators to ensure that any agreement resulting from that war would require Tehran to demand the release of Israeli captives held by its proxies.
“Obviously, I have no power over it. I can only ask and plead for that and hope somebody listens,” Idit Ohel told JNS on Wednesday.
“We want to save our son, we want him to come home, and we are thinking of ways to make that happen. We are very scared about his situation in Gaza; we are scared for his life,” she said.
“I’m just a mother who wants her son to come home. It’s been 621 days, I know it’s taking too long, and I know the IDF and the country are strong. I just want things to work out,” she continued.
On June 13, Israel launched “Operation Rising Lion,” a preemptive strike aimed at Iran’s nuclear program, targeting numerous enemy sites, including military and nuclear facilities.
Iran has since fired over 400 ballistic missiles at cities across Israel, according to military estimates.
At least 10 people were seriously wounded by an Iranian missile barrage on Thursday morning. Beersheba’s Soroka Hospital was directly hit, while impacts were also reported in Tel Aviv, Ramat Gan and Holon.
Twenty-four people have been killed in the Iranian attacks since Friday.
“Nobody has talked to me from behind the scenes, I don’t know what is really on the table or what is happening with the hostage situation. Alon’s injury is known and life-threatening. It has to be taken care of; he has to come home,” Ohel told JNS.
Details about Alon’s physical and mental condition have emerged from former Hamas captives Eli Sharabi, Or Levy and Eliya Cohen, who were held with him and are part of a group of 25 hostages and eight deceased released during the first phase of a Jan. 19 ceasefire. They revealed that Alon had been injured by shrapnel and was unable to see out of his right eye.
“Until now, no medical doctor has seen Alon. We are worried about that. We need him to come home soon. His situation has not changed; he is still in Gaza, held in harsh conditions, starved, and his legs are chained. The government needs to do everything they can,” said Ohel.
“At the end of it, wars don’t stop through military means; they stop through conversations and negotiations. So, I want negotiations to start so my son can be freed and brought home safely and alive,” she continued.
Idit revealed that she had had many meetings that had to be canceled as Israel’s war against Iran intensified.
“I don’t know what will happen,” she said.