Hamas published a new photo of the Matan Zangauker on Saturday, claiming that Israeli troops “besieged” the area where he was held in Gaza and threatened to execute it if the troops were getting closer.
The army stressed in a press release that no attempt had been made to extract Zangauker.
In the image, Zangauker is wedged on its side while a blanket covers its lower body, while a bag at Drop IV can be seen in the background.
“We affirm that the enemy will not be able to recover it alive. We have kept his life for 20 months; if this prisoner is killed during an attempt to release, the occupation army will be the head of his death,” said Hudhaifa Kahlout – known to the war name Abu Obeida – spokesperson for the Hamas military wing, Al -Qassam brigades.
“This is a final warning,” he added.
The photo was published in the midst of military operations intensified in all Gaza, while negotiations for a new release agreement of ceasefire and hostage continue.
After the publication by Hamas on the photo, Zangauker’s mother, Einav, a key figure in the protest movement requiring that the government is relying on a hostage liberation agreement in exchange for the end of the war, a crowd of 1000 men on such Aviv protest said during a weekly protest: “I am very worried about the physical and emotional state. of his condition. “
Einav Zangauker, the mother of the hostage Matan Zangauker, during a press conference outside the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv on June 7, 2025 (Avshalom Sassoni / Flash90)
“Our heart is broken by knowledge that without the political calculations of (Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu, all of this would have been avoided,” she said, adding remarks addressed to the Prime Minister that “the blood of her son will stain your hands” if he does not bring him back.
Channel 12 reported in May that Zangauker had trouble held alone and suffered from current intestinal problems and stomach pain. The report was based on an American-Israeli hostage report Edan Alexander, who was held by his side.
It was reported at the time that Zangauker went through long periods of fence in a corner of the tunnel where it is held, refusing to speak or eat, and suffers from Shakes and weakness due to muscle atrophy.
Zangauker was kidnapped on October 7, 2023 from his home to Kibbutz Nir Oz, alongside her girlfriend, Ilana Gritzewsky. Gritzewsky was released on November 30, 2023, as part of a temporary ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel.
Einav Zangauker, a former Netanyahu supporter, led demonstrations and appeared in the media in which she has repeatedly demanded a cease-fire release agreement and has severely attacked the government and the Prime Minister.
Hamas previously declared that it would execute hostages if Israeli troops were seen approaching the areas where they take place. In August 2024, Hamas Assimated six hostages In Rafah while Israeli forces operated nearby, although the troops were not aware of the presence of hostages. Their bodies were found a few days after their executions.
Military officials have repeatedly said that each strike and ground operation in Gaza was carefully planned so as not to endanger Israeli hostages on the basis of Israeli intelligence.
