Hamas has published a propaganda video, giving a sign of life of Matan Angrest, 22, who has been held in captivity in Gaza for 519 days since October 7.
In the video, Angrest says the only way to bring the hostages back is through moving to the second stage of the hostage-prisoner exchange deal.
He said the hostages were starting to lose hope and did not see the end. Angrest told the IDF that it would not succeed in releasing the hostages through military force, but only through a deal.
He also called on government officials to move forward with the deal to release all the hostages held in Gaza.
Generally, the captives are treated as if they are soldiers, not civilians, he said in Friday’s video.
The Angrest family, who approved publication of the video, said via the Hostages and Missing Families Forum that they were “rocked by the footage we have just witnessed, in which our Matan is seen jaded and hopeless.
“Beyond the serious mental state observed in the footage, his right arm no longer functions, his eyes and mouth are asymmetrical, and his nose is broken.”
These injuries were caused by torture carried out by Hamas terrorists in captivity, the family said, citing testimonies from freed captives.
“Just as Matan fought for our country on October 7, our country should fight for him and bring him back to us immediately, together with all remaining hostages, at once. What more proof can we get to understand they are running out of time?!”
On Monday, the Angrest family released a photograph showing Matan in captivity, the first visual documentation of him since he was captured. Six months earlier, Hamas had released an audio recording of him.
October 7, 2023: How Hamas took Matan Angrest hostage
Angrest was captured in uniform from a tank while wounded and unconscious at the Nahal Oz outpost on the Gaza border, according to his family.
“He had gone out with his team to defend the outpost and the kibbutzim. Matan was abducted in critical condition and is enduring unimaginable suffering, torture during interrogations, and inhumane conditions,” the family stated.
“Despite being severely wounded, he was not returned in the humanitarian phase, solely because he is an Israeli soldier.”
His mother called for the government to complete all stages of the deal before proceeding with the next phase of the war and to bring all the hostages home before sending more soldiers “who may never return” to the front lines.
Angrest, who served in a tank unit, was captured alongside his fellow soldiers Itai Chen, Daniel Peretz, and Tomer Leibovitz – who were all killed in the battle and their bodies taken into Gaza.