Einav Zangauker, mother of Matan who was released from captivity earlier this week spoke on Saturday night at a rally in Hostages Square in Tel Aviv.
“Matan, my son - our son - is home. Right now, he’s sitting in our living room watching you, the people of Israel, and his heart is full of gratitude and appreciation. Thanks to our determination, persistence, and the spirit of faith and hope we all share, Matan came home alive.”
“The fight will not end until the last fallen hostage is returned to us, until every family can lay their loved one to rest with dignity. The victory we yearn for will only be achieved when the last fallen hostage is brought back to Israel. I promise the families of the fallen hostages the same promise that millions of citizens gave me over the past two years - I am with you, you are not alone. We will continue to fight for those same values, and we will do whatever it takes to bring everyone home.”
“I bow my head in deep reverence before our heroic IDF soldiers. You sacrificed everything - everything - for my Matan and the other hostages, for the State of Israel,” she added. “The price you and your loving families have paid over these two years, and continue to pay in body and soul, is unbearable. I will be forever grateful for your actions and your courage on behalf of the hostages and the nation.”
She addressed the bereaved families and said, “I’m sorry and ask forgiveness that you had to pay the highest price. My heart will always be with you, and the memory and legacy of your loved ones will guide me.”
“On October 7, in our darkest moment as a people, we were orphaned from those who were supposed to act as our mother and father. There was no functioning government,” Zangauker said. “In its place, the people of Israel - of all backgrounds - rose up and for two long years worked to provide answers in every aspect. You, the people of Israel, stood by us, opened your hearts when they closed theirs, reached out to us when they turned their backs.”
“When they sabotaged deals, you cried out with us in the streets, at rallies, in protests, under the scorching sun, in the rain and cold,” she said. “You raised your voices with us against those who chose silence, against those who tried to normalize the hell our sons and daughters endured in captivity. They cared about their image, but you, the people of Israel, fought alongside us for the values that bind us as a society.”
“The government and its leader, Benjamin Netanyahu, are responsible for the October 7 failure!” she declared, as boos erupted from the crowd. “They are responsible for children being kidnapped in their pajamas from their beds, for families hiding for hours in safe rooms, even among corpses, until help arrived - and help came too late.”
“They are responsible for the abandonment on that day and every day since, responsible for the hostages who were killed and murdered in captivity,” Zangauker shouted. “They are responsible for the soldiers who fell in battle in places we supposedly conquered again and again. They are responsible for the nightmare we’ve all endured for two years - and some families are still living that nightmare right now. They can rename the war as much as they want, but they will never escape responsibility.”
“Today I stand here and say with great pride - let every Jewish mother know she has a whole nation behind her. A nation that will keep fighting to bring back every fallen hostage and the last soldier from the battlefield. And now, for the first time in two years, I allow myself to fulfill my dream - to return to being a mother to Matan, to Natalie, and to Shani.”