IDF Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir honored freed hostage Matan Angrest on Wednesday by personally presenting him with a new black beret in recognition of his service in the IDF Armored Corps.
“Throughout the entire way, you were at the forefront of my mind, and your safety was a central consideration," Zamir told Angrest during the visit. "We will not rest until we return all the fallen hostages to Israel.”
Following the visit, Angrest joined Zamir in attending the burial of his commander and friend, Captain Daniel Peretz, whose remains were returned by Hamas on Monday night.
Taken hostage on Oct. 7
Angrest was an active IDF soldier in the Armored Corps during the October 7 attack. He was dragged from his tank while defending Nachal Oz and violently abducted into Gaza by Hamas alongside the bodies of his fellow tank crewmen.
During his time in captivity, he was abused and tortured at the hands of the terror group because he was a soldier.
Angrest was freed from Hamas captivity in the most recent hostage-prisoner exchange following US President Donald Trump's Gaza peace deal, which went into effect on October 10, 2025.