Hostage's parents express frustration over Netanyahu's 'lack of efforts'; 'Witkoff cried, Israeli PM didn’t even know our son was wounded'

The parents of two hostages, on Tuesday (Apr 15), expressed their frustration with Benjamin Netanyahu, claiming that the Israeli Prime Minister wasn't doing enough to secure the release of their sons from Hamas' captivity.

One father even compared Netanyahu's apparent lack of effort to the more emotionally invested approach of US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff.

Twenty-two-year-old soldier Matan Angrest was abducted from a burning tank while battling militants on October 7, 2023, whereas 24-year-old civilian musician Alon Ohel was kidnapped from the Nova music festival.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

They have both been held captive by Hamas for nearly 500 days and were not released in previous sets of hostage releases.

Matan's mother, Anat Angrest, wore her son’s army uniform on Tuesday and said that "the prime minister of Israel isn’t fighting for him.”

“I’m wearing his uniform to call attention to the fact that the soldiers haven’t been included in any deal — neither the wounded soldiers nor the bodies of soldiers, including Hadar Goldin, whose body has been held there for 10 and a half years,” she said at a demonstration, according to The Times of Israel.

“We demand from the Israeli government that in the next release of hostages, the soldiers will be returned — not because of US citizenship,” she said, referring to soldier hostage Edan Alexander, who is a dual Israeli-American citizen, “but because of their blue-and-white citizenship. They belong in Israel and need to be returned here.”

WATCH | Israel-Hamas war: Hamas claims it has lost contact with group holding Edan Alexander

'He cried when I showed him the video'

Matan’s father, Hagai Angrest, compared US Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff's reaction to that of Netanyahu, saying that the Donald Trump adviser "cried" on watching the video of lynching that Matan went through on the day he was abducted.

“He cried when I showed him the video of the lynching that Matan went through on the day of his abduction,” Hagai said, referring to Witkoff.

“We know that Matan has also gone through aggressive interrogations, with electric shocks, but when we spoke with Netanyahu, he didn’t even know that Matan was wounded,” he said.

Hamas releases video showing Matan Angrest alive

Earlier in March, the Palestinian militant group released a video showing Israeli hostage Matan Angrest alive.

In the footage, Angrest, who turned 22 in November, calls on the Israeli authorities to implement the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal.

"We are shaken by the video we just saw, in which we see our Matan looking drained and desperate after 518 days in Hamas's tunnels," the family said in a statement issued by the Israeli campaign group, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.

Angrest in the video can be heard saying that it has been 511 days since he has been held in Hamas' captivity.

His family said that Angrest had been "tortured" by the militants.

"Beyond the severe psychological state evident in the footage, his right hand is non-functional, his eyes and mouth are asymmetrical, and his nose is broken -- according to testimonies from those who have returned," the family said.

"All due to interrogations and torture in captivity. What more proof is needed to understand that time has run out?"