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Freed Israeli Hostages Matan Zangauker and Ilana Gritzewsky Announce Engagement

The pair were abducted from Nir Oz in 2023, then freed in separate releases months apart.

Overview

  • Matan's mother, Einav Zangauker, disclosed the news on X with a caption calling the image her “picture of victory.”
  • A photo from the proposal shows a rooftop setting near the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel in Hollywood, Florida, with a “Will you marry me” sign and champagne.
  • Both were seized from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, 2023; Ilana Gritzewsky was freed on November 30, 2023, and Matan Zangauker returned home in October 2025 after roughly two years in captivity.
  • The couple emerged as faces of the hostage-families movement, including a staged wedding at Tel Aviv’s Hostage Square while he remained captive.
  • Israel’s President Isaac Herzog posted congratulations, casting their choice to build a future together as a public message of resilience.