Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
The parents of an Israeli soldier held by Hamas since the October 7 attack on southern Israel released photos and and video footage on Tuesday evening showing his abduction and assault by a mob in Gaza and his interrogation by Hamas terrorists, in a bid to increase pressure for his release.
live
The moment that Matan Angrest was abducted
(Video: Hostage Families' Forum)
live
Matan Agrest is questioned in Hamas captivity
(צילום: באדיבות מטה המשפחות)
The videos and photos, made public by Anat and Haggai Angrest, shows their son, Matan Angrest, being forcibly taken from his tank near the Nahal Oz military post and violently beaten by a crowd. Matan, a tank crew member and resident of Kiryat Bialik in northern Israel, was captured during the initial stages of the surprise assault and has been held in Gaza ever since.
Photos from the video were released earlier on Tuesday evening.
“We’ve decided to do everything it takes to get our son out of this hell,” the Angrests said in a statement accompanying the release of the footage.
Until now, Anat Angrest had not watched the video, which only her husband had seen. But in a post shared on the Instagram page “bring.matan.home.now,” she wrote that she felt she had no choice but to see and release it. “I had to put aside my feelings and focus on what must be done—to show the violence my son endured and the urgent need to bring him home,” she wrote.
The footage marks the first time the public will see the moment of Matan’s abduction.
Anat Angrest said the family initially avoided public appeals, hoping Matan would soon be released and able to speak for himself. “We’re not people of protests or media,” she wrote. “Matan doesn’t even use social media. We tried to protect his privacy, believing he would come home soon.”
She said the family’s trust in the government has eroded. “He was already left behind once,” she said, referring to a previous hostage deal that excluded him. “We were afraid to speak out because he’s a soldier, but now we understand—the state allows soldiers to be left behind.”
Get the Ynetnews app on your smartphone: Google Play: https://bit.ly/4eJ37pE | Apple App Store: https://bit.ly/3ZL7iNv
Matan’s mother said she showed the video to his brother, and plans to share it with his sister and their grandparents, Holocaust survivors who she said are now living through a new trauma. “Every time someone close to him sees the footage, it takes a toll on their health—and on mine,” she said.
live
Sign of life video of Matan Angrest released by Hamas
“For a year and a half, 59 civilians have been buried underground, paying the price for a national failure and enduring daily abuse,” she added. “My son is in a cage, starved, without sunlight. There’s no greater moral imperative than bringing him—and all the hostages—home. Now.”