US deal leaves injured hostages behind in Hamas tunnels, family says

The family of hostage Alon Ohel criticizes US moves securing the planned release of Edan Alexander while leaving the rest of the hostages behind, noting that their son is continuing to suffer in captivity.

“The deal leaves Alon behind while he is injured and in pain,” the family says in a statement carried by the Ynet news site. “We are in a nightmare and frightened.”

The comments reflect a sense of unease among some hostage families that the arrangement securing Alexander’s release, which the US says is part of an effort to end the war and free all hostages, differentiates between those in Gaza based on what passports they hold. Ohel’s mother Idit has been particularly vocal against what she terms as a selektziya between hostages during previous rounds of releases.

According to the family, relying on information from freed hostages, Ohel has been kept bound in chains and received no medical attention for shrapnel in his eye and shoulder from wounds suffered on October 7, 2023.

The statement offers well-wishes to the family of Alexander on their son’s impending freedom and urges Israel’s government to reach a deal securing the release of the rest of the hostages.

“Alon and the rest of the injured hostages are being left behind in the tunnels with no medical attention or help,” the family says. “There is no date for the end of our nightmare.”