Words of Hope
Two Years of Silence Broken: What Hostages Guy and Alon Wrote In Their Letters Home
Recently released Israeli hostages' letters to their families, written under Hamas captivity, provide rare glimpses into their ordeal while highlighting Hamas's strategic timing.
The families of two former Gaza hostages, Guy Gilboa-Dalal and Alon Ohel, recently received poignant letters written by their loved ones while they were still being held captive by Hamas, KAN reported on Wednesday. The communication, though reportedly forced by the terrorist organization, offered a rare and emotional connection for the families after over two years of agonizing separation.
Gilboa-Dalal and Ohel, both released on Monday, October 13, 2025, penned the letters in late August, which were subsequently delivered to Israel via the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
A Sister's Birthday and a Message of Strength
Ilan Dalal, Guy Gilboa-Dalal’s father, shared the contents of his son’s letter, which contained a deeply personal hope: that he would be released before his younger sister's 18th birthday in December.
The letter also reflected the psychological toll and the constant thoughts of family that sustained him.
"I saw Gal and Eli together in a TV report with our shirts on," the letter read. "I don't stop thinking about you, and thoughts of you give me strength.”
For Gilboa-Dalal’s family, the physical state of the letter itself provided a measure of relief. They noted the neat handwriting and logical wording, which they said gave them hope regarding their son's condition and well-being during his imprisonment.
Similarly, Alon Ohel’s letter, according to the KAN report, focused on his desperate longing for his family and his determination to hold onto hope despite the horrors he was enduring in captivity.
Hamas’s Calculated Timing
The delivery of the letters in late August, around the time Israel was escalating its offensive operations in Gaza City, is viewed by Israeli sources as a calculated move by Hamas.
The consensus among these sources is that the terrorist group intentionally chose that moment to allow contact with the ICRC, seeking to make it unequivocally clear that Israeli hostages were being held in areas potentially targeted by the IDF. This act is understood as an attempt to deter or constrain Israeli military action against the organization.
The recent release of both hostages has brought an end to their two-year-plus ordeal, though the profound emotional and psychological impact of their captivity, documented in these few, hard-won letters, remains a critical part of their story.