Today, the family of soldier Matan Angrest, who is currently being held by Hamas in Gaza, authorized the release of a video showing a sign of life from him. In the video, Matan can be heard stating, “The feeling is that the IDF, the State of Israel, and the government have abandoned us in captivity for a very long time. We are starting to lose hope. We don’t see an end. I want to say to the IDF: You won’t succeed in bringing us back with military force. The only way is through a deal.”
Matan also addresses U.S. President Donald Trump directly, saying in Hebrew, “Bring back all the hostages. You are the only one with the power to influence Netanyahu and the government and push for this deal. Make every effort to bring us home as quickly as possible.”
The Angrest family expressed their deep distress, stating, “We are shaken by the video we just saw, in which we see our Matan looking drained and desperate after 518 days in Hamas’ tunnels.”
They further described the toll of captivity, saying, “Beyond the severe psychological state evident in the footage, his right hand is non-functional, his eyes and mouth are asymmetrical, and his nose is broken—according to testimonies from those who have returned, all due to interrogations and torture in captivity. What more proof is needed to understand that time has run out?”
The family continued their plea, saying, “We ask of you, President Trump, to continue fighting for our Matan and all 58 other hostages with the same unwavering commitment and relentless determination. We must not stop until the deal is completed—only when the last hostage comes home.”
Earlier this week, a photo of Matan was aired on the Uvda program on Channel 12. The image, taken from a video made by Hamas, was released six months after the first sign of life from Matan, when Hamas published a recording of him calling for the Prime Minister to negotiate his release.
{Matzav.com}