A Mother Pleads for the Return of Her Son From Hamas; Will the World Listen?

As an Israeli living abroad, advocating for Israel has always been my passion.

At a recent event organized by a Jewish organization in Florida, I met the mother of Matan Angrest, who was abducted by Hamas on October 7.

Anat, a mother of four from Kiryat Bialik, has been dealing with the uncertainty of her 21-year-old son’s kidnapping. It wasn’t until two weeks after October 7 that his phone was tracked in Gaza; he was listed as “kidnapped,” leaving the family in limbo.

Anat told me, “We didn’t know if he was alive or dead. I spent most of the day [of the Hamas attack] on the balcony, watching every military vehicle and every knock on my neighbors’ doors announcing the loss of their loved ones. I was fearful that I would be next to receive tragic news.”

More than a month later, during the ceasefire hostage deal with Hamas, one of the hostages who was freed confirmed with the family that he had seen Matan and had spent a day with him in the Gaza terror tunnels. For the first time, they knew that he was alive but badly injured from the fighting on October 7.

My heart goes out to Anat’s struggle, and I wonder how she manages to balance caring for her family, advocating for her son in rallies to bring him back home, and traveling to the United States. She expressed her appreciation for the moral support and compassion from American Jews living abroad, which has been a source of emotional and financial strength for Anat during this challenging time.

Anat shared, “It’s hard for me to take care of my three children now and stay calm while imagining my son hungry and injured in a tunnel; I see him sitting in front of me.”

“My husband and I have stopped working since October 7. We don’t have a day or night. We are focusing on maintaining a sense of normalcy for our three other children during this challenging time. They are experiencing nightmares and tears, while two of our kids find it difficult to cope with school and are only receiving home tutoring, they are traumatized by their brother’s kidnapping … the last six months have been a complete cycle of hell,” Anat told me.

Amid the war in Gaza, the world has completely forgotten about the plight of the Israeli hostages, let alone the 1,200 people murdered on October 7. As advocates for Israel, it is our job to keep telling both sides of the story — and make sure that the world cannot forget.

We stand united with Anat’s family in her prayers for the safe return of her son, Matan, and the release of all the hostages — and we must work to make this a reality.

Ayelet Raymond is an Israel activist, and the creative force behind the @Kosher_Barbie character and social media personality.