In a significant development offering both hope and heartache, the family of captured Israel Defense Forces soldier Matan Angrest has received confirmation their son remains alive, through testimonies from recently released hostages who shared captivity with him. This crucial update comes approximately 500 days after Angrest was taken from his tank position at Kibbutz Nahal-Oz.
The first tangible proof of Angrest's survival emerged in September 2024, when an audio recording was played during a gathering at the Hostages Square. In the recording, Angrest made a direct, emotional appeal to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, pleading for rescue from captivity.
His mother, Anat Angrest, speaking on Channel 12, revealed that recent testimonies from released hostages have provided crucial confirmation of her son's survival. "We are living in constant anxiety over the government's handling of this situation," she said. "While we have received confirmation that Matan is alive, he is being held in extremely harsh conditions. We know he was captured while serving in his IDF uniform." She specifically referenced testimony from Or Levy, another hostage, describing the captors' emphasis on Levy's military status and the severe interrogations he endured.
"My son's name appeared on the humanitarian list of wounded Israelis," Anat Angrest explained, "despite the prime minister's assertion that wounds aren't categorized. My son was wounded while defending our tank position at the border. He was unconscious when captured while protecting our nation's borders."
The mother voiced increasing frustration with the government's response: "The state isn't even discussing how or when they will bring him home. Every mother in Israel needs to understand the reality of our situation. We know he suffered severe injuries, emerged from the tank with burns, and endured harsh interrogations. We've seen evidence of this on his face in footage we haven't yet released. We remain uncertain about the long-term implications of his injuries or whether they can be fully treated. Israel effectively abandoned him there from the moment of his capture. Please, just bring my child home."
In the September 2024 proof of life video, Matan Angrest addressed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with a direct appeal: "Netanyahu, I desperately want to see my family and friends. This is crucial. I believe you're capable of this – you just need to want it. I trust you. You can do this, and I hope it happens soon."
Following the release of that first proof of life, Anat Angrest shared the painful experience of seeing her son: "I received proof that Matan is alive through a video found by IDF forces in Gaza. In it, he says, 'Netanyahu, I don't understand how this happened, but I trust you to get me out of here.'"
She concluded with words that cut to the heart of her family's ongoing nightmare: "How disappointing that the prime minister hasn't extracted you yet, that you weren't discussed in the first phase of releases and aren't being discussed in the next. You're not a child, not a woman, not elderly, not chronically ill – just a soldier who fought, who was willing to sacrifice himself, and now you remain there, in tunnels in darkness, wounded and bleeding, who knows if surviving."
