"I Was Choked Unconscious": Matan Zangauker's Harrowing Account of Kidnapping and 738 Days in Hell.

In his first interview since being released after 738 days in captivity, Matan Zangauker shared his harrowing, almost unbelievable testimony, detailing his kidnapping from Kibbutz Nir Oz, the brutal conditions in the hands of Hamas terrorists, and the sheer disbelief of his eventual freedom. Matan, now safe at home, admitted, "It still doesn't feel real. It will truly take time for it to sink in," adding that there are moments when he still has to pinch himself to believe he's out of Gaza.

The Attack and Kidnapping

Matan recounted the morning of October 7, when he was staying with his girlfriend, Ilana Gritzewsky, at her home on the Kibbutz. They woke to alarms, heavy gunfire, and explosions. As the terrorists closed in, they fought to keep the safe room door shut, but a second wave of attackers forced them to flee through a window.

"I look around, right, left. I see that the kibbutz is operating normally," Matan recalled, seeing people on motorcycles and in homes, until the realization hit him: "it wasn't our people." He saw Ilana hide under a white sheet in a neighbor's yard, and as he jumped into a bush, the terrorists spotted him.

"They grabbed me immediately, they started choking me. I was about to see black, right before fainting," he described. He managed to say a few words in Arabic, explaining, "'I don't want any trouble,'" which caused them to stop. He was then forced onto a motorcycle between two terrorists, beginning his entry into Gaza. He entered with the hope that Ilana had successfully hidden, believing she was safe.

A Walk Through Hell

Upon entering Gaza, Matan was immediately subjected to a savage experience: "I see children, women, seniors, standing in a long procession, with sticks, with stones, with pipes. They start beating me." He was unable to defend himself as the terrorists held him on the motorcycle.

He was then taken into a tunnel, where he was forced to sit next to the body of an IDF soldier. The terrorists screamed threats, telling him, "We will kill you like this soldier... why are you a Jew, why do you live in this place, this is our place." In the initial 20 meters of the tunnel, he was placed in a small room with another hostage, Yocheved Lifshitz.

Because of his age, Matan was defined by the terrorists as a "soldier," which resulted in tougher treatment, including violence, being tied up, and being subjected to psychological abuse and food games. "They were playing mental games," he said, describing how they would eat lavish meals while he and other hostages were given only half a pita. He endured constant darkness, dampness, and putrid smells, with strict rules against standing up, which could result in shouting or physical abuse.

Defiance and the Mother's Fight

Despite the fear, Matan admitted he felt compelled to argue with his captors when they boasted about killing Israeli soldiers. "I felt that I had to stand my ground. I felt that I needed to 'defend the home,'" he said, adding, "It hurt me greatly when he talked about the soldiers, that 'we killed and murdered.' I felt I had to answer him."

Matan revealed that he was filmed dozens of times by his captors in extensive, all-day filming sessions with dozens of takes, where the terrorists instructed him on what to say for propaganda purposes.

His most unbelievable story details his movement across the Strip: "After the deal fell apart, they told us we had to be ready... I was told we had to go. They decided we should walk to Rafah, where it was safer... We walked all the way to Rafah on foot, accompanied by thousands of people, their residents." The terrorists had disguised his identity so he could pass as a Gazan, allowing him to live among the population, wandering through schools, hospitals, mosques, and markets, often within a hair's breadth of IDF forces. "I lived just like them," he stated.

His most emotional revelation came from the exposure to outside media. First, the Sheik of his tunnel told him, "You're Zangauker, right? Your mother is doing demonstrations, she's turned the whole country upside down." Matan was happy and strengthened, realizing his mother, Einav Zangauker, was well and fighting. Later, in a tunnel with a TV, he saw his mother, Ilana, and sister Natalie together. He was angry that they were fighting for him, but seeing their unity and the massive public support gave him hope. He believes his mother's public fight ultimately changed the way his captors treated him, leading to small acts of kindness and better food from the moment they saw her on TV.

Lies and a New Beginning

Matan confessed that his hope was extinguished after the second deal failed, leading to a period of depression. The false rumors spread about him and his family since his release were heartbreaking: "It's utterly foolish. To hear that I was in Qatar, at parties and in a jacuzzi, getting massages and drinking, while I was under Hamas captivity receiving beatings and abuse... I went through hell."

He also spoke of the painful actions of his estranged father, who publicly opposed his mother's methods. "I see it as riding on my back. You don't want to support me? Don't support me. But why do the complete opposite? Why cause harm?"

Now, Matan is healing and, with Ilana, is planning a real wedding to replace the symbolic one his mother staged during his captivity. "Two years is a lot of time to get burned and scarred. It will take time, but thanks to the love I receive on the street, the process will be much quicker and easier," he concluded, stressing that healing for the nation cannot begin until every last hostage is home.