Einav Zangauker considering entering politics ‘to send home’ Netanyahu

Einav Zangauker, the mother of released hostage Matan Zangauker, said she is considering a career in politics with the goal of removing the current Israeli government, after becoming a prominent advocate for the return of hostages held by Hamas.

Advocacy and Political Consideration

Zangauker, who rose to prominence as a leading voice in the campaign for hostage release, told television host Ofira Asayag on Channel 12 that she is “entering politics and…will do the best she can for ordinary citizens.” She stated that her experiences over the past two years have led her to believe that “politics in the State of Israel is rotten to the core,” and that politicians do not prioritize the public interest.

“Fixing the country can only be done by us — the citizens,” Zangauker said. While initially open to joining any party, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud, she clarified on X (formerly Twitter) that her priority is to remove those she holds responsible for the failures surrounding the October 7 attacks.

“As someone who personally endured for two years the pain of that terrible failure, the most important thing to me is to send home everyone who had their hand on the wheel on October 7, first and foremost, Netanyahu and the Likud party,” she wrote.

A Personal Mission

Zangauker described removing the current government as both her “life’s mission” and “a necessary condition for beginning the repair of our state and our people.” She has been critical of the government’s handling of the hostage situation and is demanding independent investigations into the events leading up to October 7.

Her son, Matan Zangauker, 26, was released in October after two years in captivity. He was kidnapped during the Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023, from Kibbutz Nir Oz, along with his fiancée, Ilana Gritzewsky, 31, who was freed in November 2023.

During Matan’s captivity, Einav Zangauker became a recognizable figure in the fight to bring the hostages home, regularly participating in protests and publicly criticizing the government. She has also been the target of death threats and online attacks from supporters of the prime minister, accusing them of a smear campaign against her and other hostage families.

Zangauker stated that Netanyahu’s office has attempted to contact her and Matan since his release, but she has rejected their outreach. “From the very first moment I decided to speak out, [the government] kept trying to silence me and intimidate me,” she said, adding, “I scare him. I’m the one who voted for him from the moment I had the right to vote; I believed in him. In the end, he is the one who caused my son to remain in captivity for two years, to undergo physical and psychological abuse.”