Latest news with #MatanAngrest
New York Post
2 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
US, Qatari mediators shaping package of proposals to end Israel-Hamas war, as IDF prepares to launch Gaza City takeover
As it prepares to sack Gaza City, Jewish state leaders are signaling to the US that their military takeover can be halted in favor of a cease-fire and the release of the remaining hostages held by Hamas, Israeli television reported Saturday. US, Qatari and Egyptian mediators are said to be discussing a comprehensive package of proposals to end the war, which include the release of the remaining 50 hostages — 20 of which are believed to still be alive. The deal on the table would also see full Israeli withdrawal, demilitarization of Palestinian armed groups and the exile of some Hamas military wing leaders. 4 Intense negotiations are ongoing this weekend to prevent further escalation of the war in Gaza. AFP via Getty Images A new civilian authority would be established in Gaza, according to the Times of Israel reports which cited sources familiar with the negotiations. The three countries are hashing out the proposal among themselves, before presenting it to Israel and Hamas. Mediators are also in intense negotiations with Israel to try and prevent the Jewish state from executing its military objective in Gaza, Saudi media reported. Israel's security cabinet approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan Friday to take full control of Gaza City in an effort to wipe out the terror group — a major escalation of its nearly two-year conflict. The timeline for the Israeli operation remains unknown. But even if the controversial plan moves ahead, Israeli TV said Tel Aviv would be willing to suspend the operation to strike a deal. 4 War in Gaza has been raging for almost two years. MOHAMMED SABER/EPA/Shutterstock This was amid a flurry of activity around the globe Saturday, aimed at trying to prevent further intensifying the war. White House special envoy Steve Witkoff met with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman al-Thani in Spain to also discuss plans to end the war. In Tel Aviv, mass protests for the release of the hostages drew tens of thousands of people, as speakers urged Israeli soldiers not to carry out the Gaza City takeover, the Times of Israel reported. 4 People protested in Tel Aviv as they do every Saturday for the release of the hostages and an end to the war. AFP via Getty Images IDF chief of staff Eyal Zamir had warned a takeover of Gaza would imperil the remaining Israeli hostages. Anat Angrest, whose son Matan Angrest remains among the hostages, has called for people to protest the decision. 4 The parents of hostage Matan Angrest, Anat and Hagai and his sister Adi were among the protesters Saturday. REUTERS 'It was decided to expand the war and conquer even at the cost of Matan's life,' she wrote in a post on X. 'And the silence is killing.' 'Will you be with me when I call for everything to come to a stop, to strike?'
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
These are the remaining 20 Israeli hostages presumed to be alive in Gaza
The names, ages, and history of the 20 remaining hostages that the Israeli authorities believe are still alive in Gaza. What do we know about them? The last time Israel and Hamas struck a ceasefire in their war, in early 2025, 38 hostages were released — almost all of them living. Since then, Israel has retrieved the bodies of nine other hostages taken during Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, while US President Donald Trump negotiated the release of Edan Alexander, a soldier who had been the last living American-Israeli in Gaza. And officials conveyed that another two hostages who had not been confirmed dead were in fact no longer living. That leaves 20 living hostages — all young men — and 30 deceased ones on the verge of what could be another ceasefire during which half would be released. All of the living hostages are in poor condition after 21 months of captivity, Israeli lawmakers were reportedly told during a briefing on Sunday. Matan Angrest: Angrest, 22, was serving as a soldier on Oct. 7 and was seized from his burning tank at Kibbutz Nahal Oz. Released hostages disclosed that he was chained and beaten in captivity and suffered severe injuries. He appeared in one video released by Hamas in July 2024 and another in July 2025, as momentum was building toward a potential deal. Gali Berman: Berman, 27, was kidnapped from his home on Kibbutz Kfar Aza. A relative said they had received a sign of life for both brothers — the only remaining living hostages from their ravaged kibbutz — during the ceasefire in early 2025. Ziv Berman: Like his twin brother Gali, Ziv, 27, was kidnapped from his home on Kibbutz Kfar Aza. A sign of life was also received for him in February 2025 but officials indicated that the two brothers were being held separately. Elkana Bohbot: Abducted from the Nova music festival, Bohbot, 36, was filmed being beaten before he was taken to Gaza. His family — which includes a young son — received the first sign of life for Bohbot during the ceasefire earlier this year. His parents said he expressed hope, through a freed hostage, that they are continuing to hold a market stall where he planned to open an ice cream shop; they are. Rom Braslavski: Braslavski, 21, was abducted while working as a security guard at the Nova music festival during a break in his army service. His family had received no sign of life until March 2025, when a released hostage said he had formed a friendship with Braslavski in Gaza. Hamas released a video featuring Braslavski in April 2025. Nimrod Cohen: Cohen, 20, was captured from a tank on his base near the Gaza border. His family received both a message from Nimrod through a released hostage — 'I'm OK, don't worry, I love you,' they said he said — as well as visual evidence of his state. Though his face was obscured in a video Hamas released showing hostages bidding farewell to Yair Horn, who was freed in the first phase of the ceasefire, his parents recognized Nimrod's tattoo. Ariel Cunio: Taken hostage with his girlfriend from Kibbutz Nir Oz, Cunio, 28, is half of one of multiple sibling pairs who remain in Gaza. His mother said in August 2024 that she had gotten a sign of life from him and his brother. His partner Arbel Yehud was released in January after being held without any contact with other Israelis for nearly 500 days. David Cunio: Cunio, the brother of Ariel Cunio, 35, was taken hostage from his home along with his wife, their twin daughters, his sister-in-law and her daughter. All were released in November 2023 except for him. After the August 2024 sign of life, his wife said the family received another in February 2025. 'David is alive,' Sharon Aloni Cunio told Channel 12 news. 'And that gives us so much strength and so much air to breathe.' His daughters turned 5 in July 2025. Evyatar David: David, 24, was taken hostage at the Nova music festival along with his best friend, Guy Gilboa-Dalal. A sign of life came for him in February 2025 when Hamas brought him to view other hostages being released. Guy Gilboa-Dalal: Gilboa-Dalal, 24, was taken hostage at the Nova music festival along with his best friend, Evyatar David. He appeared alongside David in the video released by Hamas of the pair watching other hostages be released and realizing that they would not be. Maxim Herkin: Abducted from the Nova music festival, Herkin, 37, had returned from visiting his native Ukraine a week before Oct. 7. He was born in the war-torn Donbas region, which is part of Ukraine but claimed by Russia, and has a daughter who lives in Russia, so Russia has advocated for his release. Hamas released a video of Herkin in May 2025, saying he had been injured when Israeli troops bombed the tunnel where he was being held. Eitan Horn: Horn, 38, was abducted while visiting his older brother, who was released in the first phase of the deal. Hamas released a video showing Horn pleading for an end to the war as his brother Yair was taken from him to be released in February 2025. Segev Kalfon: Kalfon, 27, was taken hostage from the Nova music festival. A first sign of life came from released hostages in February 2025. Bar Kupershtein: Kupershtein, 23, was abducted from the Nova music festival, where he was working. A report from a released hostage in February, followed by a hostage video published by Hamas in April, offered the first signs of life for him since Oct. 7. Omri Miran: Miran, 48, was taken hostage in his own car in front of his wife and young children. He appeared alive in a video released by Hamas in April 2024, and a new sign of life was received in February 2025. Hamas then released a video of him in April 2025. Eitan Mor: Taken hostage while working as a security guard at the Nova festival, Mor is 25-years-old. A friend with whom he was abducted was found dead in Gaza, but a sign of life was received for him during the ceasefire in early 2025. Yosef-Chaim Ohana: Taken hostage from the Nova music festival, Ohana, 24, reportedly aided festival-goers before being abducted. His family said in February 2025 that it had gotten a 'clear indication' that Ohana was alive. Alon Ohel: Ohel, 24, was one of four Nova festival-goers to emerge alive from a shelter where 16 others were killed. The first sign of his life came after other hostages were released in February. His mother said she had been told that he was being chained, starved and beaten in captivity. Avinatan Or: The boyfriend of Noa Argamani, who was rescued from Hamas captivity in June 2024, Or, 32, was one of the first Israelis to be seen in footage of an abduction. A released hostage said in March 2025 that he had recently encountered Or in captivity, marking the first definitive sign of life for him. Matan Zangauker: Abducted with his partner from their Nir Oz home, Zangauker, 25, has maintained prominence because of the aggressive advocacy of his mother Einav, who was briefly banned from the Knesset because of her demonstrations. His partner was released in November 2023. When Yair Horn was released, Hamas forced him to hold an hourglass attached to a base with a picture of Zangauker and his mother, with the message, 'Time is running out.' Hamas released a new picture of him in June and said he would be executed if troops tried to rescue him.
Wall Street Journal
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Wall Street Journal
Israel's Agonizing Choice Over Which Hostages to Save
TEL AVIV—Only 20 of the hostages Hamas is holding in Gaza are believed to be alive. A cease-fire deal being negotiated is expected to bring an agonizing choice over who to free. Israel can only pick 10. 'It's Schindler's list,' said Anat Angrest, the mother of captive soldier Matan Angrest, 22, who said her son was injured. 'I don't understand how the state can choose who should stay in hell.'
CNN
09-06-2025
- CNN
An Israeli soldier was taken hostage on October 7. In ceasefire plea, his mother releases video of his brutal capture
The family of an Israeli soldier held hostage by Hamas has released new footage of the moment he was pulled from his tank and captured by Palestinian militants during the October 7 attacks. 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.
CNN
09-06-2025
- CNN
An Israeli soldier was taken hostage on October 7. In ceasefire plea, his mother releases video of his brutal capture
The family of an Israeli soldier held hostage by Hamas has released new footage of the moment he was pulled from his tank and captured by Palestinian militants during the October 7 attacks. 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.
