Released Israeli hostage Matan Angrest says he wants to return to IDF service

Matan Angrest, one of the 20 living hostages who were released by Hamas on Monday, was reunited with his family after 738 days in captivity. His grandfather, Moti, revealed that his grandson appeared “mostly healthy, with some scars on his hands and fingers, and in good spirits.”

He recalled the emotional reunion with his grandson. 

“When I saw him, I cried,” Moti said in an interview with the news outlet Ynet News from Sourasky Medical Center. 

“He told me he loves me, and I told him I love him. He survived all that horror. When he saw me, he even noticed my mustache had grown. We were so happy and emotional to see him. When he arrived in the ambulance from Re’im, my wife Rina and I broke down in tears,” he continued.

Matan Angrest served as an IDF soldier when he was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7, 2023. In April, his family approved the publication of the violent video when Matan was kidnapped and tortured. 

"There’s a video of Matan being led into Gaza, tortured and lynched until he lost consciousness. The next time he woke up was in Gaza," his mother Anat Angrest, said at the time. 

In March, Hamas released a video with Angrest where he revealed that he hadn’t seen the sunlight and was treated “like a soldier.” While not elaborating, he was likely referring to the fact that Hamas generally treated male hostages of military age worst than other hostages.

In the video, Angrest called on U.S. President Donald Trump to secure the release of the remaining hostages. “We’re starting to lose hope,” he said at the time. 

Despite the trauma and two years in captivity, Moti revealed that one of the first things that his freed grandson told him was “If it were up to me, I’d go back to serve.”

“That’s love for the country,” Moti said. He revealed that patriotism runs deep in his family. 

“Our whole family was raised on that. Even my younger son, Matan’s uncle, volunteered for reserve duty and has already served 500 days. His goal was to bring his nephew home. Yesterday we saw the helicopter land, and there was Matan, stepping out and holding the Israeli flag.”

The grandfather also revealed that Matan, who is not religious, began praying during the long captivity in Gaza. 

“He prayed three times a day,” Moti said. “He put on tefillin at his bar mitzvah and hadn’t done it since. Maybe now he’ll start again, like his grandfather."

After returning home to Israel, Matan learned that his sister Adi had enlisted in the Border Police after he was abducted. 

“Before he was taken, he gave her his blessing and said, ‘We’re a family of fighters,’” the Angrest grandparents said. “He was thrilled to find out she’s serving."

Matan’s grandmother, Rina, revealed that Matan’s return home means that the family can finally breathe and sleep again for the first time in two years. 

“We finally slept better last night – after two years without breathing. We focused only on Matan and his release. It’s a miracle. When we met, I didn’t want to ask too many questions. He told me, ‘Grandma, it’s okay,’ and even apologized for making us live through these two years. He said, ‘I’m sorry.’”