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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.
The post A Mother Pleads for the Return of Her Son From Hamas; Will the World Listen? first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.