Einav Zangauker, the mother of 24-year-old Gaza captive Matan Zangauker, released footage of her son’s abduction into the Gaza Strip on October 7, Israeli media reported.
Zangauker, who has been highly critical of the Netanyahu government since her son’s kidnapping, released a video of him being paraded on a motorcycle throughout Khan Yunis, sandwiched between two terrorists, one of whom was holding a rifle.
In the video, sounds of celebration could be heard from Gazans watching nearby.
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In the video, sounds of celebration could be heard from Gazans watching nearby.
An Ofakim resident, she also shared a series of messages exchanged between herself and her son prior to his abduction. In the exchange, he asked his mother for updates and anything she may have seen on the news about what was happening in the country.
In the exchange, she told her son that there was no quick response from the IDF and that many people, both soldiers and civilians, were dead.
He expressed hearing sounds of shots firing, asking if terrorists were still on the loose – before his mother immediately told him to “not speak loudly.”
Shortly after making Matan aware of the belief hostages were taken and asking him to close all windows inside the home, her now-captive son told his mother that he loves her. “There is someone here, I love you, don’t cry,” he wrote to his mother in a gut-wrenching and emotional message.
Matan’s phone was recently found in Gaza by IDF soldiers, according to Israeli media reports.
Mother of hostage speaks against Netanyahu
Zangauker has been repeatedly critical of Netanyahu and his efforts to bring an end to the war and bring the hostages home. Earlier this month, she was asked if she had heard from the negotiating team that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was deliberately sabotaging the deal.
“Yes, he is,” she replied. “One of the three people directly involved in the negotiations for the deal told me this explicitly. I am now calling out the prime minister and everyone involved in the negotiations that this is the last chance to save the country. Without the return of the hostages, we don’t have a functioning country.
“The prime minister is not interested in the hostages returning home and concluding the war in the South and addressing the conflict in the North,” Zangauker said.
“He is only interested in continuing to preserve his coalition, which, to remind you, is blackmailing him so that he will continue to fail to address the issues we are facing. We did not choose [Hamas Gaza head Yahya] Sinwar to lead the country. We chose this leadership, which is currently right-wing. The government does everything, including briefings, deliberate sabotage, and going against our security system, to weaken the security system in the country. They abandoned the citizens on October 7, and they will continue to do so. There is no choice. We will have to take him down.”
Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.