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‘I know Matan is alive with 10 others underground,’ hostage’s mother says

Einav Zangauker: ‘In my opinion, there are no more than 30 to 35 hostages still alive.’

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Einav Zangauker, the mother of hostage Matan Zangauker, said in an interview with Reshet Bet on Tuesday morning that she believes her son is alive and is being held underground with ten other hostages.

Zangauker said she receives regular updates, and according to the most recent one, she concludes her son is still alive and is confined underground, most likely in Gaza’s extensive tunnels.

“I know that Matan is held with less than 10 other hostages that are also alive, and the fear is great,” she said in the interview.

She continued, “Therefore, it is an urgent task to save those still alive.”

Zangauker also said it is imperative to bring the bodies of the fallen soldiers and slain hostages back to Israel so their families can have closure.

She expressed concern that with the conflict escalating in the north, the hostages and their families will be forgotten.

Acknowledging there are no easy answers, she said, “We as hostage families would like to see a diplomatic solution to the conflict on the northern front so we can focus on returning the hostages.”

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Then again, she added that Israelis in the north can’t be expected to tolerate constant attacks without a strong military response.

Zangauker expressed skepticism concerning Israeli Prime Minister’s comments earlier in the week that 50 of the 97 hostage held in Gaza are still alive.

She told Army radio Monday, “The prime minister is lying. We know, the families, that the number is far smaller than the number cited by the prime minister.”

She added that the families of hostages receive intelligence and updates from the military and this information, she concludes that “in my opinion, there are no more than 30 to 35 hostage still alive.”

“There are no [significant] contacts between the Israeli team and the mediators,” she said, and “Hamas is not involved.” The Americans, preoccupied with the upcoming elections, basically “given up” their efforts, at least for the time being.