Nikolic: Ohel alive but in serious condition, must be exchanged urgently

TEL AVIV - Serbia's Honorary Consul in Israel Aleksandar Nikolic said on Tuesday Serbian national Alon Ohel, kidnapped by Hamas at a music festival in Israel on October 7, 2023, was still alive but seriously wounded and without any medical care whatsoever and must urgently be included in the current stage of hostage exchange.

"Today I had an opportunity to speak with his family. On the night before last night, they received information from the liaison officer that is based on the testimonies of two kidnapped people who were exchanged in the first stage of the Doha agreement," Nikolic told K1 TV.

According to the information, Ohel was wounded in one eye and other parts of his body, including his neck, and is being held in a tunnel in completely inhumane conditions and in complete darkness, Nikolic said.

Ohel has been starved and tortured in various ways and is being kept barefoot all the time, while his legs are chained, he said.

Even though his family expected him to be exchanged in the second stage of the agreement following a categorisation of civilians, a recategorisation must take place now as he is seriously wounded and without any kind of medical care, he said.

"That means he would urgently have to be included in the current stage of the exchange. However, as you know, this stage, too, has now been put in question, and delays of the process - which was to proceed normally next Saturday - have been announced," Nikolic said.