At hostage rally, mother plays recording of son in Hamas captivity pleading for Netanyahu to sign deal

During the latest hostage rally in Tel Aviv on Saturday evening, Anat Angrest, mother of captured soldier Matan Angrest, played an audio recording of her son calling on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to approve a hostage deal. In the audio recording, Matan says, “Netanyahu, I trust you! You can do it, and I hope it will happen as soon as possible.” 

The roughly 30-second long audio clip is the first sign of life from Angrest since he was abducted from the military base in Nahal Oz on Oct. 7.

Angrest was serving in an IDF tank unit and was captured along with several other soldiers, including Itai Chen, Daniel Peretz, and Tomer Leibovitz, who all died during the fighting at the outpost. The bodies of the three soldiers were abducted into Gaza by Hamas terrorists.

His mother said she chose to play the recently obtained recording at the rally in the hopes of securing a hostage deal for the surviving hostages. 

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said the audio clip was recently obtained in Gaza but did not share further details. In July, during a rally for a hostage deal, the family claimed it received a video of Angrest in which he pleads for Netanyahu to free the hostages. 

אמו של החטוף מתן אנגרסט חשפה: "קיבלתי ממנו אות חיים בסרטון שחיילינו מצאו בעזה, הוא זעק 'נתניהו תוציא אותי מפה'" pic.twitter.com/isl4TqpmvH

— lolmer (@lolmer) July 6, 2024

As usual, the hostage rally on Saturday night took place at Hostage Square near the Israeli Defense Headquarters, with other rallies being held in Paris Square in Jerusalem near the Prime Minister's Residence.

Michal Lobanov, wife of the murdered hostage Alex Lobanov, also spoke at the rally. She told those gathered: "My heart was murdered in Gaza.” 

“My two boys are now fatherless,” Michal said. “They will not get the chance to have their father raise them. How will our two young sons live in a country where its government abandoned their father? For them and for me, it is too late.” 

She pleaded with the government to give the remaining families the opportunity for a different outcome.

“Please give the other families here the chance at returning their loved ones; for me, it is too late; for them, there is still a chance. Let these families and the entire nation that supports them have a better ending to this nightmare. Bring them home now!” 

While Israeli and U.S. officials have downplayed the chance of achieving an acceptable hostage deal, Israel’s hostage envoy, Gal Hirsch, recently told Bloomberg News that Israel is willing to offer Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar safe passage out of the Gaza Strip in exchange for releasing the hostages.