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Recording of kidnapped soldier released: ‘Netanyahu, I trust you’

The 30-second clip was discovered by IDF soldiers in Gaza and was given to Matan’s mother Anat in July.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

A recording of captive IDF soldier Matan Angrest was played publicly for the first time on Saturday.

The 30-second clip was discovered by IDF soldiers in Gaza and was given to Matan’s mother, Anat, in July.

Anat Angrest played the clip for the first time publicly at a rally on Saturday night on behalf of the hostages still held in Gaza.

The recording includes a direct appeal to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“Netanyahu,” he says in the clip, “you must, must do this exchange between the [Palestinian] prisoners in Israel and the prisoners here. I very much want to see my family and friends, it’s very important.”

“I think you’re capable of it,” he says. “I trust you.”

Hamas frequently uses recordings of hostages for propaganda and as a weapon of psychological warfare against hostage families, politicians, and the Israeli public.

There are some indications that Angrest’s remarks were from a script prepared for him by Hamas terrorists; for instance, instead of using the word “hostage,” he said “prisoner.”

Matan served in a tank unit and was captured by Hamas while fighting on October 7th.

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The other IDF troops in his tank, Itai Chen, Daniel Peretz, and Tomer Leibovitz, were killed, and their bodies were taken to Gaza.

Matan suffered critical injuries when he was captured, and his family did not hear from him until they received the recording in July.

Anat Angrest expressed disappointment that Matan wasn’t named among the captives that would be returned to Israel in the first round of the hostage deal, when women, children, the elderly, and those who were injured were scheduled to be released.

According to the proposal, which was stalled due to Hamas and Israel’s disagreement over control of the Philadelphi corridor, soldiers would be released in a later phase of the deal.

Israeli swimmer Anastasia Gorbenko dedicated the silver medal she won in the 400-meter individual medley at the World Aquatics Championships in Doha, Qatar, to her classmate and friend Matan Angrest.