After 775 days in Hamas captivity, hostage survivor Alon Ohel returned to Hostages Square on Tuesday to perform the song that sustained him during his darkest hours – the last piece he played on his bedroom piano before attending the Nova Festival.
Video: Alon Ohel performing at Hostage Square on November 19, 2025 / Credit: Hostages and Missing Families Forum
Ohel, a gifted pianist who returned from captivity on October 13, wrote on an erasable board while on the helicopter to the hospital the words "Song Without a Name." This was the last song he played on the piano in his room before leaving for the Nova Festival, which was written and composed by Shalom Hanoch and originally performed by Yehudit Ravitz.
Prior to his release, medical authorities sounded the alarm that intelligence from released other hostages suggested Ohel might be losing his vision. According to information disclosed on Kan Reshet B, reports from freed captives indicate Ohel has sustained shrapnel injuries to his eye and can only detect shadows with one eye. Medical sources indicate that based on survivor testimonies, he risked losing vision in both eyes. After his return, and upon medical evaluation it was confirmed that his right-eye sight was severely compromised.
He underwent several complex procedures and doctors have been optimistic that his condition would allow his vision to be partially restored despite the circumstances, explaining that the surgery would have normally been done immediately after such an injury in order to be effective and that his conditions in captivity without proper food and sunlight may have hurt his medical parameters.
