Former Gaza hostages Matan Zangauker and Ilana Gritzewsky are engaged. The news was announced Sunday overnight by Matan’s mother, Einav Zangauker, who was one of the most prominent figures in the public campaign for his release throughout the war.
In a photo she shared on her X account, Matan and Ilana are seen raising a glass. Einav captioned the post: “My victory photo. Ilana & Matan.”
Matan and Ilana met through their work and lived together for about a year and a half before they were abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz. Matan was released from Hamas captivity in the most recent hostage deal in October. Ilana was freed in the first deal in November 2023 and later joined Einav in the public struggle for his release.
Over the course of the war, Einav Zangauker became a symbol of the fight to free the hostages, leading weekly protests on Begin Road in Tel Aviv and repeatedly calling for a deal that would secure their return.
On October 13, 738 days after he was abducted from his home in Kibbutz Nir Oz, Matan, now 25, returned to Israel as part of the deal. On the day of his release, even before he was handed over to the Red Cross in Gaza, a Hamas operative called Einav and allowed them to hold a video call on a mobile phone.
“I am waiting for you, my love,” Einav said during the recorded call. “God is great. You are coming home. All of you are coming home. I love you.”
After his release, Matan launched an online crowdfunding campaign to support his rehabilitation. He wrote at the time: “I am finally home, alongside the love of my life, Ilana. Thank God, we were given the chance to begin the journey of rehabilitation and rebuilding our lives together, as we were before October 7.
“My journey and Ilana’s is expected to be complex, long and difficult. The assistance from the state is a drop in the ocean compared to the challenges that still lie ahead. Our dream is to heal body and soul and to build a home and a family.”