Some 583 days after October 7, the families of hostages Yosef-Chaim Ohana and Elkana Bohbot received a new video showing the two which was released by Hamas on Saturday. In a Sunday interview with Ynet, Ohana’s father, Avi, said the footage has left him deeply shaken, pointing to the visible deterioration in his son’s physical and emotional state.
“This is the second video we’ve received in a month and a half,” Avi Ohana said. “It’s very hard to watch. The suffering they’re going through is obvious. I’m deeply worried about my son. He’s someone who always cared for others — it's why he was kidnapped in the first place.
“All his friends had evacuated but he said, ‘I won’t leave the wounded behind,’ and stayed to help them on October 7. That’s when the terrorists captured him. You can see the same in this video — he’s helping Elkana.”
In the latest footage, Yosef Chaim announces he’s beginning a hunger strike. “If he said it, he’ll do it,” Avi said. “That’s my son. He said he’ll stop eating to shake the country awake.”
The previous video, also showing both men, surfaced about a month after the hostage deal concluded and just days after the IDF resumed fighting in Gaza. Avi recalled that moment: “It came out right after Ohad Ben Ami was released — he was with them in captivity. They had hope. They thought the releases were based on age: first people in their 50s, then 30s, then 20s. That’s what they believed in the tunnel.”
Comparing the two videos, Avi said his son now appears in far worse condition. “I know my son — he’s not someone who breaks easily. But he’s breaking now. If he’s struggling like this, they all must be. It’s been 583 days. Even the strongest person would break by now.”
When asked whether he could see the difference from the previous video, Avi responded bluntly: “Yes. We’re very disappointed in the decision-makers. We were told different things along the way.
Elkana Bohbot and Yosef-Chaim Ohana in latest Hamas video
“I won’t name names but the hostages’ families are deeply disappointed. Even if the government is doing something — it’s not enough. Don’t tell us you’re doing ‘everything.’ This is the worst failure in the country’s history. They don’t deserve to be there another 583 days.”
He also criticized the renewed fighting in Gaza: “Another war? God forbid more people die. Starting over—again—with no end in sight. We feel completely helpless.”
Avi said prayer is keeping him going. “We pray every day. You can’t eat or drink knowing your son is in this state. It’s unbearable suffering — and it has to stop. The country doesn’t want another war. How much more can we fight? What haven’t we tried already?”
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When asked if he believes Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is doing all he can, Avi said: “I won’t say he’s doing nothing — that would be foolish. I’m sure he’s trying as prime minister. But I also believe he’s under a lot of pressure from others in government — people I won’t name — who have him by the throat.
“It’s clear now the top priority is to destroy Hamas and only after that they’ll 'see how to free the hostages.’ So freeing them has become secondary. If destroying Hamas was really the priority, they had 20 years to do it,” he said.
“The most important thing right now is to bring them home. Because even if you destroy Hamas but don’t bring back the hostages — we lost this war. Even if one is left behind, we lost.”
Ohad Ben Ami, the former hostage who was held alongside Yosef Chaim and Elkana, made a direct appeal Saturday to both Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump to stop the war and secure the hostages’ release.
“This is another devastating video,” Ben Ami wrote on Facebook. “Elkana appears to be on an IV drip after trying to harm himself in despair. He’s silent. Yosef announces they are starting a hunger strike.”
Avi said he visited Ben Ami about two months ago. “He told me everything. He was with my son in a tunnel for around seven months. My son was originally held in an apartment. Ohad said he grew very attached to him — he felt like he was his own son.”
He also recounted what Ohad told him about captivity: “They were tied by their legs, hands and blindfolded. They were starved, beaten and threatened. Ohad said surviving every day in there was a miracle.”