An Israeli soldier was taken hostage on October 7. In ceasefire plea, his mother releases video of his brutal capture
The video shows the soldier, Matan Angrest, surrounded by a dozen men atop the turret of an Israeli tank. The men, whose faces are blurred in the video, then lower Angrest, head first, off the tank into the arms of Palestinian militants, who barely catch him.
It is unclear whether Angrest is conscious in the video. His body is limp and tumbles forward as he is tossed off the side of the tank.
One man can be seen kicking Angrest before he is thrown off the tank. Another man below appears to slap Angrest as he falls to the floor.
In an interview, Angrest's mother said she decided to publish the video because she fears that her son has been 'left behind' and wants the public to know that he is in a critical situation.
'I don't feel the commitment of the government for Matan as an Israeli soldier like I felt the commitment of Trump to American citizens – a big gap,' Anat Angrest said. 'If the government wants soldiers to still serve her, she has to worry about the soldiers and to bring them home like the other citizens.'
While her husband saw the video months ago, she only watched it for the first time on Sunday night.
'For me as a mother, it's the hardest thing to watch – to know about my son. Every mother knows that her kid from the first cry of a baby, we are worried about our children,' Anat Angrest said. 'It's the hardest situation for me as a mother.'
This is the latest attempt by Angrest's family to sound the alarm about his deteriorating medical condition in captivity. They say he is suffering from chronic asthma, has untreated burns and has suffered infections during his captivity, according to the testimony of hostages who were held with Angrest.
Keith Siegel, the American-Israeli hostage who was released in February, told CNN last month that he was extremely concerned for Angrest's physical and mental wellbeing. The two were held together for more than two months.
The video released Monday appears to have been recovered by the Israeli military from the belongings of Palestinian militants, according to the watermark on the video.
Angrest said her family did not release the video for months at the urging of the Israeli military, but said she now feels she has no choice as the Israeli government pushes for yet another partial deal that would see about half the remaining hostages released.
'We were quiet about it for a year and a half, but we understood that our quiet is very comfortable to leave Matan behind,' she said.
Angrest is one of 55 hostages still held by Hamas and one of 20 still believed to be alive, according to the Israeli government.
As a male Israeli soldier, Angrest is believed to be at the bottom of the list of hostages to be released – considered a high-value hostage by Hamas and one for whom the Israeli government will likely have to pay a steep price. Anat Angrest believes her son's concerning medical condition should be taken into account and, like many of the hostage families, called for the release of all the hostages and an end of the war.
Ceasefire and hostage deal negotiations between Israel and Hamas have sputtered along in recent weeks, yielding no agreement. A framework proposed by the US would see about half the living and deceased hostages released in exchange for a 60-day temporary ceasefire. Hamas has insisted on stronger guarantees from the US that negotiations to end the war will continue – and the fighting will not resume – after that temporary ceasefire expires.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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