Mother of captive Israeli soldier: The state told us to stay silent

Families of Israeli soldiers held captive in Gaza held a press conference Thursday ahead of their first meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu since the start of the war in October. 

“At the request of the state and the security forces we stayed silent until today. They scared us,” said Anat Angrest, mother of Matan Angrest, who was captured by Hamas on 7 October. 

“Today we understand that as the number of days of silence grows, the number of boys who return home alive decreases.”

Orna Neutra, the mother of another soldier held in Gaza, Omer Neutra, said: “Prime Minister Netanyahu, the responsibility to bring our sons home is yours. 

“For six months, we’ve known that our children are suffering and we have no way to help them,” she said. “We don’t even know if they’re still alive if they’re surviving hell.”