The armed wing of Hamas, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades on Saturday released a video featuring an Israeli hostage, Matan Zangauker, who has been held in Gaza since the October 2023 Hamas attack. In the footage, Zangauker urgently called for a ceasefire, describing the dire conditions faced by hostages: “We die a thousand times every day, and no one feels for us.”
In the three-and-a-half minute video, which has not been verified, Zangauker, speaking in Hebrew told that he has been in captivity for over 420 days. He calls on the public to pressure the Israeli government to negotiate the release of all hostages held in Gaza.
“The government has neglected us and continues to neglect us day after day,” he said.
Zangauker, who was 24 when he was captured from the Nir Oz kibbutz, was taken alongside his partner, Ilana Gritzewsky, who was released during a truce last year. His mother, Einav Zangauker, has been a vocal advocate for a government deal to release hostages and end the ongoing conflict.
In a direct appeal to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, she said: “That Matan is still alive today does not mean he will survive the winter or the continuing military pressure. The only way to bring Matan back is with a ceasefire.”
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, a group campaigning for the release of those abducted by Hamas, described the video as proof that hostages remain alive and stressed the urgency of securing their release. “These hostages’ lives hang by a thread,” the group said.
Criticism has been directed at Netanyahu for allegedly stalling negotiations for a ceasefire, with accusations that he is prolonging the war to placate his far-right coalition partners. Protests calling for the government to engage in hostage release talks have been widespread across Israel since the war’s onset.
Since the first surprise attack by Palestinian militants, 251 people were abducted, with 96 still held in Gaza, including 34 confirmed dead, according to the Israeli military.
On Saturday, Qatar announced that “momentum is coming back” for ceasefire talks, with sources close to Hamas indicating that a new round of negotiations could begin next week. Doha has been mediating discussions alongside the United States and Egypt for over a year, though no breakthrough has been reached.