A first sign of life emerged on Saturday from Matan Angrest, the soldier kidnapped while severely wounded and unconscious during the fighting in Gaza on October 7.
In a recently discovered video from his captivity in Gaza, Angrest addressed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, urging him to secure his release. "Netanyahu, you must make the exchange between the prisoners in Israel and the prisoners here," he said. "I believe you're capable of it; you just need to want it."
The audio from this video was made public for the first time by his mother, Anat Angrest, during the weekly protest supporting a deal to return the captives. In the recording, Matan says, "Netanyahu, I trust you! You can do it, and I hope it will happen as soon as possible."
Matan, who served in a tank unit, was captured alongside his fellow soldiers Itai Chen, Daniel Peretz, and Tomer Leibovitz - all of whom were killed in the battle. Their bodies were also taken into Gaza. According to the Hostages’ and Missing Families Forum, Matan was critically injured when he was captured, and his family had not received any news of him for months.
Video was known to exist by Anat beforehand
Anat Angrest had previously revealed the existence of the video at a rally in early July at Hostages’ Square, where she shared her disappointment that her son had not been mentioned in the first phase of negotiations for a prisoner exchange. The family now sees the video as a sign of hope, confirming Matan is alive and holding on.
Matan's case has garnered significant public attention. During a recent competition, Israeli swimmer Anastasia Gorbenko dedicated a medal to him, describing the surreal reality of having a friend and classmate held captive in Gaza.