Former hostage ‘Matan [Angrest] was forced to endure horrific interrogations,’ mother Anat says

Anat Angrest talked during a rally in Tel Aviv’s Hostage Square on Saturday, demanding the release of the remaining Gaza hostages.

Released hostage Matan Angrest “was forced to endure horrific interrogations in the tunnel basements while severely wounded, bleeding, hovering between life and death for long months,” his mother, Anat, said during a rally in Tel Aviv on Saturday demanding the release of the remaining Gaza hostages.

“His body bears scars of courage, scars that, as a mother, I find difficult to look at and to imagine what he went through,” she continued. “He still doesn’t tell me everything; he protects me. He says, ‘Leave it, Mom, the main thing is I’m here.’ But his eyes fill with tears when he remembers that Itay Chen is still there. At every opportunity, he says he wants to put on his uniform and bring him back,” she said.

The demonstration was held in Hostage Square in Tel Aviv alongside families of the remaining 13 deceased hostages, recently freed hostage, their families, and friends.

“We will never be whole again, but we can be a people who have healed,” Noam Katz, daughter of Lior Rudaeff, said. “A people who choose life, who choose light, a people who choose not to give up hope. This is my dream. This is our promise.”

Lishay Miran-Lavi, wife to Omri Miran, said that “Omri is home tonight watching over our daughters. This picture is no longer a dream – it’s reality, and it’s thanks to you, good people.”

“You stood with us, marched with us, and prayed with us. You opened doors to the highest halls of power and the smallest houses of worship. You ensured the voices of our loved ones were heard even when the world turned away,” Moshe, Omri’s brother, added.

Those in attendance also include recently freed hostage Eitan Horn, accompanied by his brother Amos and Iair Horn, the latter also being released from Hamas captivity in February of this year.

Other participants included family members of former hostages who were released in the US-brokered hostage, ceasefire deal.

Kibbutz Nir Oz demands return of remaining hostages

Another protest was held in Kibbutz Nir Oz alongside the Tel Aviv demonstration, with the main demand also being the return of all 13 hostages still held in Gaza by Hamas.

“My grandfather survived about four months in the Hamas tunnels in deplorable conditions, with very little food and water and no medical care at the age of 85,” said Gali Nochomovitz, granddaughter of hostage Amiram Cooper.

She added, “Grandma returned with a broken shoulder. While she was in captivity, Grandpa took care of her. He helped her do everything, even though he was also in a bad mental and physical health condition. On the day of her release, my grandfather was the one who told her that she was coming home. And literally within a few moments, the terrorists took Grandma, and they didn’t have time to say goodbye. And from there they parted ways.”

True, my grandfather’s time is over, but my time and my family’s time have come to a halt. It is our duty to return all 13 martyrs who remained in captivity and not leave anyone behind. Not to leave any family behind. We deserve certainty; he deserves a proper and dignified burial on the land of the kibbutz he loved so much. We will not stop fighting, Grandpa. Until the last captive!”

Other participants included Zamir Haimi, uncle of Tal Haimi, a member of the Nir Yitzhak readiness class who had recently returned to Israel; Silvia Cuneo, mother of the former hostages David and Ariel Cuneo; and Renana Gome-Yaakov, mother of the former hostages Or and Gil Yaakov.