Hostage Matan Angrest's mother: "We received new information about him"

Recent intelligence from inside Gaza has shed light on the condition of captive Matan, who has endured multiple life-threatening situations since his capture. Reports indicate that his captors had to intervene to keep him alive after severe distress in the tunnels.

Authorities and families are continuing efforts to locate captives, with ongoing searches and recovery of personal belongings in Gaza.

Matan is a 19-year-old Israeli soldier from Kfar Saba, who has been held captive by Hamas for over 600 days since his abduction during the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel. The young IDF soldier was kidnapped from an armored vehicle near the Gaza border, an event captured in harrowing footage showing him being dragged, beaten, and taken into Gaza by a mob.

His family, led by his mother Anat Angrest, has been vocal about his critical condition, reporting a "staggering gap" between official information and Matan's actual state of health. Anat has criticized the Israeli government for what she perceives as insufficient efforts to secure his release, contrasting it with the commitment shown by U.S. President Donald Trump towards American citizens.

Hamas released a propaganda video of Matan in March 2025, shortly after his family shared the first photo of him in captivity, highlighting the ongoing psychological warfare. Despite these efforts, 55 hostages, including Matan, remain in Gaza, with negotiations and military operations continuing to prioritize their release.

Chilling details recently revealed show that Hamas revived him using a car battery.

Doctors have used footage proven by Hamas to analyze his condition, pointing out that it's likely he has injuries from which he will never be able to recover.

Further complicating matters, if the hostage deal currently on the table does go through, Israel will be forced to choose which hostages will be released and which will stay in Hamas captivity.

Despite Hamas's statement that it submitted a "response characterized by a positive approach" night, and that it is "fully prepared to immediately enter a round of negotiations on the implementation mechanism of the agreement," the families of those still alive and those held as fallen in the Strip are deeply troubled by the most difficult and heart-wrenching question - how the list will be determined. Who will be saved and who will be left to fate, or in one chilling word: selection.

Undoubtedly, this involves matters of life and death, and among those dealing with the hostage issue, they prefer not to talk about it. The reason is clear: everyone understands that those who will be released in the first stage of the framework proposed by the American envoy Steve Witkoff - 10 living hostages in two batches (eight on the first day and two on the 50th day of the ceasefire) - will leave behind another 10 living hostages who will have to wait for the results of negotiations to end the war.

If there is an agreement within 60 days or perhaps more (while U.S. President Trump guarantees that the ceasefire will continue as long as negotiations are conducted in good faith), only then will the rest be released. However, among the families, there is a fear that if the negotiations collapse and fighting resumes - it could, God forbid, be a death sentence for their loved ones who might be forgotten or disappear. The proposal for a hostage deal - the first stage

Official sources are willing to say very little regarding the issue of selection. The only thing they are prepared to share is that "intelligence and medical teams from the Prisoners and Missing Persons Unit are continuously gathering information on the condition of the hostages, to reflect their situation to decision-makers." However, they emphasize: "It is not yet clear who is expected to be among those released in the agreement.