“My life, my life,” cried out Einav Zangauker, embracing her son, Matan, for the first time in one of many emotional moments, as the 20 living hostages embraced their joyful families upon their return to Israel after 738 days in Hamas captivity.
Hamas kidnapped Matan and his girlfriend, Ilana Gritzewsky, from their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz on Oct. 7, 2023.
On Dec. 7, 2024, Hamas published a letter that it said was from Matan.
“We are still alive. We want to return safely before we go crazy,” the letter stated. “Isolation kills, and the darkness is frightening. We die 1,000 times a day.”
Tzvika and Efrat Mor held their son, Eitan, in a group hug.
“Our beloved Eitan, how long we have waited for you. How long we have waited to finally see you after two years,” they said. “The last time we saw you was today, two years ago, on Hoshana Rabbah,” the holiday that falls out toward the end of Sukkot.
“Today we embrace you once again,” they said.
“Our Eitan has come back to us thanks to the commanders and soldiers of the IDF and other security forces, our heroes who went out with self-sacrifice to destroy the enemy,” they said.
They thanked the government and people of Israel, as well as Trump.
The hostages were released in two waves, first Matan Angrest, twin brothers Gali and Ziv Berman, Guy Gilboa-Dalal, Omri Miran, Eitan Mor and Alon Ohel.
The second group was Elkana Bohbot, Rom Braslavski, Nimrod Cohen, brothers David and Ariel Cuneo, Evyatar David, Maxim Herkin, Eitan Horn, Segev Kalfon, Bar Kupershtein, Yosef-Haim Ohana, Avinatan Or and Matan Zangauker.
“It’s official,” the IDF stated. “There are no more living Israeli hostages in Hamas captivity.”
Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, told the army that “this is an event in which you did something great, together with the IDF fighters on the front lines.”
“I want to express my deep appreciation for that,” he said.
Alon Ohel, who was kidnapped from the Nova music festival, was greeted by his family.
When the shooting began, he and his friends drove away in a car and hid in a shelter. The terrorists threw grenades in the shelter, and Alon and others threw them back out. He was captured.
Nimrod Cohen was taken hostage from a tank as he fought the terrorists on Oct. 7. All his comrades in the tank were killed.
Of the 28 bodies held by Hamas, only four were released on Monday.
“This is a blatant violation of the agreement by Hamas. We expect the Israeli government and the mediators to act immediately to correct this terrible injustice,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said.
“We will not give up on any kidnapped man or woman, and the mediators must enforce the terms of the agreement and exact a price from the Hamas terrorist organization for the violation,” it said.
