The family of Matan Angrest, an IDF soldier who was taken captive by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023, announced today that they had received confirmation of his survival through testimonies from hostages who were recently released as part of the ongoing ceasefire agreement.
Matan’s mother, Anat, revealed that the reports about her son’s condition contained “harsh details.” Matan was abducted from his tank on October 7, suffering from burns. “We heard that he was being held there in difficult conditions because he is a soldier,” she shared with Channel 12 News.
Matan’s father, Hagi, expressed how deeply moved he was by the news: “We heard from the returnees a sign of life regarding our dear son Matan. It moved us very, very much. It is time to return him as soon as possible along with everyone else. Return our Matan to us along with the other hostages immediately. Their situation is difficult there, it is time to return them.”
In an interview with Ynet, he described the shock his family experienced: “We woke up last Saturday all excited, waiting to see life coming out of hell. When we saw the images we were shocked. We know these hostages from everything, and we didn’t recognize them,” he said, referring to the disturbing images of Or Levy, Ohad Ben Ami, and Eli Sharabi, who were visibly emaciated upon their return to Israel.
He continued, “Hamas is responsible for the crime against humanity, but our Prime Minister Netanyahu and the government are responsible for ending this hell, this Holocaust. These pictures are the same as the pictures of my grandmother who was released from Auschwitz and the one who can prevent this is the Prime Minister. His job is to advance the second phase of the deal and shorten the time, to quickly return our Matan and the other hostages as soon as possible.”
{Matzav.com}