Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan is held captive in Gaza, said Friday she had received proof from freed hostage Edan Alexander that her son is still alive in Gaza.
Alexander was freed from captivity on Monday as part of an agreement between the US and Hamas, to which Israel was not a party.
During an interview at a “Friday Culture” event, Zangauker said, “Matan is still alive. We received this information due to the return of Edan Alexander.”
But she said the good news may be for nothing if her son is eventually killed by the “military pressure implemented since Edan returned.”
According to Zangauker, “The military pressure killed hostages. The only way to bring back my Matan and all the hostages is with a complete agreement for the end of the war. [Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu] is dragging us toward an endless political war.”
Alexander, a US-Israeli IDF soldier kidnapped on October 7, 2023, was freed by Hamas after 584 days in captivity in what the terrorist organization said was a gesture toward the Trump administration.
He was released from Ichilov Medical Center in Tel Aviv on Friday after completing a medical checkup. Channel 12 reported earlier in the week that Alexander had returned with injuries sustained from torture at the hands of his captors, as well as flea bites.
Alexander’s father said Thursday that he was at times hooded and handcuffed while in captivity, and was beaten and interrogated while surviving on meager rations.
Matan Zangauker, 24, was kidnapped on October 7, 2023, from his home in Kibbutz Nir Oz alongside his girlfriend, Ilana Gritzewsky. Gritzewsky was released on November 30, 2023, as part of a temporary ceasefire deal brokered by Qatar and the United States between Hamas and Israel.
Zangauker’s mother, Einav, has become one of the most recognizable relatives of hostages. The former Netanyahu supporter has led protests and made media appearances in which she has repeatedly demanded a ceasefire-hostage deal and slammed the government and the prime minister.
When it was revealed that Hamas planned to release Alexander, Zangauker said she feared that would leave Matan alone in captivity.
“The two of them are in a dark tunnel without any other hostages. If Matan is left alone in the tunnel, Netanyahu is deciding to murder my boy; instead of releasing all of the hostages, he has become my private angel of death,” she said in a previous statement.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said on Friday that Israel was losing the “opportunity of the century” as it intensifies operations in the Gaza Strip, instead of reaching a deal to return hostages and joining diplomatic initiatives led by US President Donald Trump.
“Hostages’ families awoke this morning with a heavy heart and great fear over the reports of intensified attacks in the Strip and the approaching end of President Trump’s visit to the region,” the forum said in a statement.
“The missed historic opportunity — a resounding Israeli failure. The effort to stall the proposals that are on the table will be remembered for a lifetime,” the statement continued.
“These are critical hours, hours that will determine the future of our loved ones, the future of Israeli society and the future of the Middle East. We urge the prime minister and the president of the United States to reach a breakthrough.”
Meanwhile, the Tikva Forum, a hawkish organization of hostages’ families, said reports of widespread airstrikes in Gaza meant the war was heading in the “right direction,” and urged more military pressure they argued would secure the release of their loved ones.
“The justification for the military activity is solely for the release of all our abductees together, without selection and without stages,” the forum said, urging the complete defeat of Hamas.
Israel has said for weeks it would expand its offensive in Gaza if a new deal for the release of hostages were not struck by the time Trump finished his tour of the Middle East, which notably did not include Israel.
While Trump has wrapped up his visit, Arab mediators hope that the US will convince Israel to at least hold off on the operation for several more days, as they wait to determine the results of a Tuesday IDF strike targeting Hamas’s Gaza leader, Muhammad Sinwar.
Government critics say that Netanyahu’s unwillingness to make compromises to end the war in Gaza and release hostages has left Israel on the sidelines while the US president signed multi-billion-dollar agreements with his Gulf allies.
The hostage situation, however, is still a concern for Israel’s Gulf ally, the United Arab Emirates, which Trump visited on Thursday.
In an interview with Fox News, UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed said the release of hostages should be prioritized and serve as a first step to ending the war in Gaza.
“First, getting the hostages out, we need calm in Gaza, and we need an authority that’s not Hamas that controls Gaza,” he said.
He stated that 42 percent of the aid delivered to Gaza since the war began has been funded by the UAE, adding that he believes such a contribution would not have been possible without the Abraham Accords.
Hamas has insisted on an up-front Israeli commitment to end the war before it releases additional hostages. It also issued a statement on Thursday, warning of harm to the talks if Israel doesn’t end its nearly two-and-a-half-month-long blockade on aid entering Gaza. Israel has accused Hamas of stealing much of the aid that was previously brought in.
Netanyahu refuses to commit to ending the war, saying Hamas must be destroyed, and has insisted on only agreeing to a temporary ceasefire of roughly 45 days, which would begin with Hamas releasing about 10 hostages.
Terror groups in the Gaza Strip are holding 58 hostages, including 57 of the 251 abducted by Hamas-led terrorists on October 7, 2023. They include the bodies of at least 35 confirmed dead by the IDF, and 21 are believed to be alive. There are grave concerns for the well-being of three others, Israeli officials have said.