Hamasreleased on Friday a video showing proof of life of hostageMatan Angrest, who has been held captive in Gaza for 518 days. The family has yet to confirm the video's publication or the statements made in it.
The video and its contents were released at the request of Matan Angrest's family. The statements in the video were likely dictated by his captors as part of Hamas’s psychological warfare.
"Hello, my name is Matan Angrest," he says at the start of the video. "I was kidnapped on October 7 from the Nahal Oz outpost, 511 days in Hamas captivity. The whole issue of the deal and the release of hostages, here it feels like the IDF and the State of Israel, the government, have abandoned us here in captivity for a very long time. And we, the hostages, are starting to lose hope. We don’t see the end of this story."
The video of Matan Angrest
In a video similar to others released by Hamas during tense periods surrounding negotiations, and while Israel refrains from engaging in talks for the second phase of the deal, Matan Angrest called on decision-makers, stating that military rescue operations would not succeed in freeing the hostages.
"I want to tell the IDF, you will not be able to bring us back through military force. The only way to bring us back is through a deal, and to complete the second phase," Angrest said.
"I've heard about the phases of the deal, and honestly, it doesn't matter to us, the hostages. We just want to go home," he added, suggesting he had heard details, albeit few, from his captors about the negotiations.
"Release all the hostages, end this story, and then everyone can go their separate ways. Please, I beg you, bring us back alive, not in a coffin."
Angrest, reflecting on the harsh conditions of captivity, added, "It’s not easy, there’s no sun, the cold of the winter is affecting us." He also pointed out that, unlike the other hostages released so far, he had been taken as a soldier.
"The treatment here is like that of a soldier, not a regular hostage or a civilian taken," he said. "I ask you, the people who made it home, don’t leave us here to rot in captivity—fight for us."
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אות חיים מהחטוף מתן אנגרסט בשבי החמאסאות חיים מהחטוף מתן אנגרסט בשבי החמאס
The video of Matan Angrest published by Hamas
Matan Angrest directed an emotional appeal to U.S. President Donald Trump, whom he believes has the power to change the situation: "I want to take this opportunity to address Trump and say, I beg you. Bring all the hostages back, you are the only one who has the power to influence Netanyahu and the government and truly push for this deal. Do everything you can to bring us home as quickly as possible."
In closing, Angrest, like in other videos, reached out to his family: "My mom, Anat, my dad, Hagai, my sister, Adi, my brother, Ophir, and my brother, Roy. I'm just waiting for the moment I can hug you and see you. I’m sure you are fighting for me and doing everything you can, just to bring me home."
He also had a message for all of Israel: "I want to ask all the people to turn the streets, go out into the streets, and not give up on us."
The footage was taken at least six months after his abduction. "We demand that the Israeli government implement all stages of the hostage deal before moving on to the next phase of the war," his mother, Anat, said.
She stressed the urgency of securing his release, stating, "Matan is in mortal danger. All the hostages must be brought home before more soldiers are sent to battle and don’t return."
Anat and Haggai Angrest met Friday with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir. “We demand, first and foremost, the return of the hostages—only then should Hamas be dealt with,” they stressed.
“The top priority must be the hostages because they don’t have time. Lives are turning into casualties and casualties into missing persons. We cannot resume the war while hostages are still there. Bringing them back must be a milestone for continuing the war.”
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מתן אנגרסט בשבי חמאסמתן אנגרסט בשבי חמאס
Matan Angrest in Hamas captivity
“The Americans put their soldiers and fallen troops at the top of the headlines, and we ask them to help bring back the soldiers who don’t hold citizenship as well,” they said. “It is unacceptable that a humanitarian list that included wounded hostages did not include soldiers who went out to defend the country and were injured—only for the state to abandon them and leave them behind, at the very end."
"They are the only ones the state decided to place there that day, at that hour. The military put them there. There is an obligation—both from the IDF and the state—and yet they are treated as second-class."
According to the family, Angrest, who was taken while critically wounded, is enduring severe mistreatment in captivity, including torture during interrogations, and is being held under "inhumane conditions." The family also said that Angrest was excluded from the recent humanitarian release "solely because he is an Israeli soldier."
Less than a month ago, Angrest’s father,Hagai, said the family received confirmation that he was alive through freed hostages. The accounts, which surfaced six months after Angrest appeared in a propaganda video from Gaza, indicated that he remains severely injured and is being held in harsh conditions.
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עמוד מיוחד: החטופיםעמוד מיוחד: החטופים
Matan Angrest
"We heard from released hostages that our beloved son Matan is alive. It was incredibly emotional for us," his father said. "The time has come to bring him back, along with all the others. We expect Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to advance the second phase of the deal immediately. We all saw the horrific images—scenes of a Holocaust in 2025, here in Israel. Bring Matan and the rest of the hostages home now. Their situation is dire, and it is time to bring them back."
In September, Matan’s mother revealed an audio recording of her son at a demonstration on Begin Street in Tel Aviv. In the recording, he is heard addressing Netanyahu in a video filmed in captivity, in words that may have been dictated by his captors. “Netanyahu, you must, must carry out this prisoner exchange between the prisoners in Israel and the prisoners here. I really want to see my family and friends. It’s very important. I think you can do it; you just have to want to. But I trust you. You can make it happen, and I hope it will be as soon as possible,” Matan said in the recording.