Released hostage soldier Matan Angrest eulogizes his commander, Cpt. Daniel Perez, whose body was returned to Israel shortly after he was also freed from over two years in Hamas captivity earlier this week.
“I didn’t prepare anything in advance. I can’t believe I even made it here. This is the least I could do for Daniel and the whole crew,” Angrest says.
He says that Perez “is a figure to be admired. My commander will always be my commander, until the day I die. You will go with me until my last day and even in the world to come.”
“We will keep fighting for Itay Chen, until he returns,” Angrest says, referring to another member of his tank crew, whose body was abducted to Gaza on October 7 and has yet to be returned. “I’m ready to go into Gaza right now to bring him back.”
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, October 15, 2025
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
