Former Hamas Hostage Alon Ohel Details Brutal Captivity in New Interview With Israel’s Channel 12

JERUSALEM – Former Israeli hostage Alon Ohel, freed after more than two years in Hamas captivity, has given his most detailed public account to date of the harsh conditions he endured while being held in Gaza. His testimony, aired by Israel’s Channel 12, describes prolonged starvation, physical restraints, psychological torment and periods of sexual harassment by his captors.

Ohel said he spent roughly 18 months chained by the legs in underground tunnels, surviving on minimal food and enduring untreated injuries. “You’re not a human being down there,” he recalled. “They took away movement, freedom and dignity.”

He said conditions worsened after other hostages were removed, leaving him isolated for long stretches. During those periods, a guard sexually harassed him under the pretext of providing “hygiene,” he told Channel 12.

Ohel credited another hostage, Eli Sharabi, with helping him stay alive. He described Sharabi as “like a father,” saying the two supported each other through hunger, darkness and fear.

His family had long feared for his condition until Hamas released a video earlier this year showing him alive but visibly wounded. After his release, Ohel underwent surgery for injuries to his eye and shoulder and is continuing medical and psychological treatment.

Channel 12 reported that Ohel’s testimony is among the most detailed yet from survivors of Hamas imprisonment. In his message to viewers, Ohel urged Israelis not to forget the remaining hostages still held in Gaza.

“Their suffering hasn’t ended,” he said. “I’m home — but many are still there.”

watch the full 40 Min interview here