‘Very proud’ — Kidnapped soldier’s brother enlists in the IDF

Ofir Angrest was drafted into the IDF, nearly a year after his brother Matan returned from Hamas captivity.

By World Israel News Staff

The brother of an IDF soldier who was kidnapped from his tank during the Hamas-led invasion and massacre of Oct. 7, 2023, has enlisted in the Israeli military.

Ofir Angrest was officially drafted into the IDF on Tuesday, nearly three years after his brother, Matan, was abducted to Gaza and held hostage by Hamas.

Ofir was accompanied to the IDF’s central enlistment base by both of his parents, his sister Adi and Matan, who was released from Hamas captivity in a hostage deal in October 2025.

For the Angrest family, the enlistment of their youngest child represents a full-circle moment — particularly after the family endured nearly two years of uncertainty over Matan’s fate.

Matan was a member of Battalion 77’s tank crew, which included Commander Daniel Peretz, Sgt. Tomer Leibovitz, and Staff Sgt. Itay Chen.

The tank came under attack during the Oct. 7 assault. Matan was wounded but survived the attack and was abducted alive to Gaza. Peretz and Chen were also abducted by the terrorists after being killed during the attack, and their bodies were held in Gaza for years before being returned as part of a hostage deal.

Tomer Leibovitz was also killed in the attack.

The family’s youngest son’s enlistment has brought both tremendous pride and renewed anxiety, his mother, Anat, told Hebrew-language outlet Ynet.

Anat said the family feels “tremendous pride” over Ofir’s decision to serve.

She said she was proud that he would “serve the country we were raised to protect, and that we raised our children to protect and defend.”

At the same time, she acknowledged that the fears typically experienced by Israeli mothers when their children enlist have been intensified by everything the family endured following Matan’s kidnapping.

“There are fears and triggers. It has not yet been a year since Matan returned, and going through another night with an empty bed is not easy,” Anat said.

“But this is a normal worry, like the worry of any mother sending a child into the army. It is nothing like the anxiety of having a child suffering and in immediate danger to his life for two consecutive years,” she added.