Freed hostage Alon Ohel performs on Independence Day: ‘I could only dream about moments like these’

Freed hostage Alon Ohel and wounded IDF soldier Dvir Bublil perform a song together at the President’s Residence during the annual Independence Day ceremony for outstanding soldiers.

“I was there 50 meters underground, my legs tied up, looking literally like a corpse — and I could only dream about moments like these, sitting here on Independence Day and playing in front of you,” Ohel tells the crowd. “To pass the time, I would imagine myself sitting on a stage exactly like this one and singing… and here it’s happening, I’m here on this stage.”

The freed hostage says that while in captivity, he had no idea what was going on in Israel, “and to come back and discover that they never stopped fighting for me — it’s just insane… so now to sit here and play — this is closure for me.”

Bublil, who was seriously wounded while fighting in southern Israel on October 7, says when he woke up from his injury, he learned that nine of his friends had been killed and that 251 hostages had been taken, “and it was so disappointing. You’re not responsible, but you feel like you’ve failed. You didn’t protect the country and the people that you don’t even know but you love because you’re part of the nation.”

The pair sing “Shir Lelo Shem” by Yehudit Ravitz.

Alon Ohel sings at the President’s Residence Independence Day ceremony. (Elad Malka)