In a searing display of the tensions gripping Israeli society, the mother of a hostage Matan Zangauker held in Gaza confronted a senior government minister on Monday, threatening to "take the law into my own hands" if her son is returned dead.
The confrontation, which unfolded during a parliamentary committee meeting, highlighted the deepening rift between hostage families and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government over its handling of hostage negotiations amid the ongoing war in Gaza.
"Stop lying to us," Einav Zangauker, mother of captive Matan Zangauker, told Minister Ze'ev Elkin, her voice trembling with barely contained fury. Her son is among the more than 100 hostages still held in Gaza since Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel.
In an extraordinary moment that cut to the heart of Israel's religious-political divide, Ms. Tzangaukar demanded that Mr. Elkin, an Orthodox Jewish minister, remove his kippah, saying he had "disgraced Judaism" through his actions.
The exchange grew more heated as she referenced recent comments by Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel's far-right national security minister, who advocates continuing the war indefinitely. "So two worthless officials get to decide my Matan's fate?" she demanded.
The confrontation comes at a particularly fraught moment for Netanyahu's government, which faces mounting pressure from hostage families to prioritize negotiations over military objectives. These families, once hesitant to criticize the war effort, have become increasingly outspoken as the conflict enters its second year.
Mr. Elkin, who attended the committee meeting as a government representative, sat stone-faced throughout Ms. Tzangauker's emotional address. His office declined to comment on the exchange
