Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan is one of the hostages held in Gaza, is a well-known advocate in the campaign for the release of those being held captive. On Monday, she was again denied entry to the Knesset, marking the second consecutive week she faced this refusal. Despite arriving in Yerushalayim with opposition members of the Knesset, she was turned away. Last week, a similar denial occurred, which the Knesset Spokesperson’s Office attributed to her “repeated violations of order despite her assurances.”
Following the incident, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum issued a statement calling for Zangauker to be allowed into the Knesset. They emphasized that “Every family member must be allowed to cry out for themselves and their family members in front of the decision-makers and elected officials who are responsible for the fate of the 100 hostages.” Zangauker responded to her exclusion on Monday by saying: “I want to enter the House of the People, I am part of the people.”
She went on to criticize the prime minister’s reluctance to sign a comprehensive agreement to end the war, expressing her belief that the government is only pursuing a partial deal to preserve its own survival. “The prime minister is afraid to sign a comprehensive deal in exchange for ending the war because he knows that it will end up costing him the coalition. But that can’t happen on my child’s back. We are going for a partial deal to continue the survival of this government. There are few hostages like my Matan, who are still breathing after all this time,” she explained.
Zangauker’s comments referenced the ongoing negotiations, which have centered on a proposed deal involving a three-phase process for releasing hostages. This includes the release of women, children, and the elderly in the first phase, followed by Israeli men of fighting age, and finally, the remains of those killed during the October 7 attack or while in captivity. Under this arrangement, Matan Zangauker would not be freed in the initial stage.
In the wake of the incident, Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana reached out to Zangauker and invited her to meet with him to discuss the repeated entry bans. The meeting is set for Tuesday. His invitation followed criticism from opposition members of the Knesset Presidium, a key decision-making body, who had condemned the Knesset speaker for supporting the Knesset Guard’s decision to block Zangauker from entering.
Deputy Speaker Orit Farkash-Hacohen expressed strong disapproval, calling the actions of the Knesset Guard “terrible cruelty” and questioning, “What if it were your son? And they weren’t allowing you to have your voice heard for him?” After a tense meeting, Ohana announced he would reconsider the issue, and shortly afterward, he called Zangauker to invite her for a discussion. “The phone call was conducted in a positive and respectful atmosphere,” a statement from Ohana’s office said.
Recently, Hamas released a propaganda video showing the first sign of life from Matan Zangauker, who had been held captive for 14 months since his kidnapping along with his girlfriend, Ilana Gritzewsky, from their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz. Gritzewsky was released in a truce deal in late November 2023. In the video, likely made under duress, Matan expressed the emotional and physical toll of his captivity, saying he and the other hostages “die 1,000 deaths every day” and acknowledging his mother’s efforts to bring him home.
The hostages were abducted during Hamas’s brutal attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of 1,200 people, mostly civilians. Of the 251 hostages taken that day, 96 remain in Gaza, many of whom are presumed to have died.
{Matzav.com}