Freed hostage Ilana Gritzwesky attends symbolic wedding for herself and her partner, hostage captive Matan Zangauker, August 17, 2025. (Instagram screenshot)
Ilana Gritzewsky held a symbolic wedding ceremony for her partner, Matan Zangauker, who has spent 681 days in Hamas captivity.
By Vered Weiss, World Israel News
Hostages Square in Tel Aviv became the scene of poignant suffering and devotion on Sunday evening when Ilana Gritzewsky held a symbolic wedding ceremony for herself and her partner, Matan Zangauker, who has spent 681 days in Hamas captivity.
Standing beneath the wedding canopy alongside Zangauker’s mother, Einav, who wore a black veil, Gritzewsky spoke directly to her absent fiancé. “If you hadn’t been kidnapped, we could already have been married,” she said, her voice breaking.
“Matan, my love, I am fighting for you until you return. Until you and all the hostages come back, we will bring you back alive, and together we will rebuild our home here in Israel.”
The crowd responded with a resounding pledge of solidarity: “You are not alone, we are with you.”
As the ceremony concluded, sirens sounded across Tel Aviv after a missile was launched from Yemen by the Houthis, forcing demonstrators to take cover.
Organizers released a newly obtained video of Matan Zangauker in captivity.
The clip, obtained by the IDF and believed to have been filmed several months ago, shows him addressing his sisters Natalie (“Tato”) and Shani, as well as Gritzewsky. “Tato, Shani, Ilana, I miss you. God willing, we’ll see each other soon,” he says. He also calls on friends and supporters to “go out and make noise,” voicing hope for a reunion.
On Sunday, protests across Israel began with calls for a nationwide strike to pressure the government to secure a hostage deal. Demonstrators blocked major highways during the morning commute, causing traffic delays and drawing widespread attention.
Activists also staged demonstrations outside the homes of lawmakers, demanding urgent action from the country’s leadership.
By evening, thousands gathered at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, where families of those held in Gaza delivered emotional speeches.
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