“The three boys are together again,” said Ruti Strum, mother of freed hostages Iair and Eitan Horn, on Wednesday after Eitan’s return from captivity in Gaza. Speaking with ynet, she added emotionally, “He still hasn’t spoken about the separation from Iair, and Iair hasn’t talked about it either.” Iair was released eight months ago as part of a previous hostage deal.
After months of waiting, Strum described her feelings: “I’m a bit tired, but happy—so happy. My boys are together again. We know that two days before Iair was released, they were separated. The video everyone saw was filmed before that.”
She said Eitan had begun to share some details of his captivity: “He told us roughly where he was—not the exact location, but who he was with and when they moved him. Many times they had no water. Lately, they were given a little more to drink. It was hard. They ate whatever there was—sometimes rotten food, sometimes nothing at all. Now he’s eating small portions but eating everything. Yesterday they gave him meat, and he even started eating vegetables—for the first time ever. He’s doing okay.”
Throughout her sons’ captivity, Strum said she spoke to them daily, believing they were alive. “From the first day, I knew they would come back to me alive,” she said. “Every day I talked to them and told them that. I asked Eitan if he heard me while in captivity. He said he knew I was speaking to him. That’s all I needed to hear—it’s indescribable joy. I just wanted to see them back together again. But there are still hostages. They all need to come home—now including the fallen. I’m asking everyone to help bring them back.”
Earlier Wednesday, President Isaac Herzog spoke by phone with freed hostage Matan Angrest, who fought Hamas terrorists on October 7 before being kidnapped from one of the Gaza border communities. “You are a national hero,” Herzog told him. “We salute you and are proud of you. You’re the son of the entire Israeli nation. Your family has touched all our hearts. Everyone knows you. You must come here—with your parents, siblings and grandparents. They’ve already been here—you were the only one missing.”
Angrest replied: “Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you for accompanying me from afar, but most of all, thank you for the privilege of fighting for this country. I am proud of this country, truly. Am Yisrael Chai!”
He added that he and another hostage were held together in tunnels and “knew nothing until Saturday, when they suddenly brought us up from underground.”
Herzog concluded: “Your parents, your brother, your whole family, they told your story. It connected so deeply to the national narrative. You are our national hero and I am very excited to talk to you and I look forward to seeing you here in Jerusalem. Thank you.”