JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Ofir Angrest enlisted in the Israel Defense Forces on Tuesday for a significant classified role, nearly a year after his older brother Matan returned from two years in Hamas captivity.

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The full Angrest family, including Matan, accompanied Ofir to the induction center. Relatives said they had long prayed they would be able to mark this milestone with Matan standing beside them.​

Ofir, who was 15 when Matan was abducted on Oct. 7, 2023, spent more than two years leading a public campaign for his brother’s release while still in high school. He appeared before Knesset committees, spoke for Matan in public forums and played recordings from captivity. He later received official recognition for that work.​

Their mother, Anat Angrest, said Ofir is the third of her children to enlist. She described pride in raising children to defend the country, while noting that the day also stirred lingering fears from the years Matan was missing. She distinguished that worry from the terror of knowing a child was in immediate danger in Gaza.​

Matan Angrest, a tank crewman from Kiryat Bialik, was seized near the Nahal Oz outpost during the Oct. 7 massacre. He was the only member of his four-man crew to survive. His commander, Capt. Daniel Peretz, and two other crew members, Sgt. Tomer Leibovitz and Staff Sgt. Itay Chen, were killed. Matan was freed in a hostage deal on Oct. 13, 2025. Two days later he attended Peretz’s funeral and delivered a eulogy.​

Anat said Matan returned to find a younger brother who had grown from a high-school freshman into a mature young man. She said Matan is proud of Ofir. The family previously escorted their daughter Adi to enlist while Matan was still held in Gaza.​

The family said ordinary parental concern about army service is nothing like the years they spent waiting for news of Matan. Even so, they described the enlistment as a moment of restored togetherness after a long ordeal.