Shlomo Artzi, one of Israel’s most beloved musicians, serenaded returned hostages Omri Miran, Eitan Horn and Matan Angrest at Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv on Tuesday.
In a video he posted on his social media, Artzi is seen accompanied by his guitarist, Avi Singolda, singing his classic song, "King of the World" to Angrest.
The song tells of son facing difficulties, and a mother who is always there for him, because to her he is the “king of men.” In the video, Angrest and his mother, Anat, sit looking moved by the song, and towards the end, she stands up and hugs her son.
"A moment we have been waiting for for two years," wrote Artzi on his Instagram post Wednesday. "With great excitement, Singolda and I met yesterday, at the request of the families, the heroic returned hostages Omri Miran, Eitan and Yair Horn, and Matan Angrest at Ichilov Hospital. You are the kings of the world to us all."
Artzi has taken an active role in using his music to pay tribute to those killed on October 7, to comfort the survivors, and to call for the return of the hostages.
Artzi pays tribute to those killed
At the ceremony organized by the hostage families in 2024, marking a year since the October 7 massacre, he sang a duet with released hostage Yagil Yaakov on his song, “Field of Irises.”
Last week, in the ceremony marking the second anniversary of the war, he performed with his song, “Imagine,” with actor/singer Idan Amedi, who fought and was wounded in Gaza.
Angrest, a soldier in the IDF, was kidnapped from a tank on October 7, 2023, alongside Tomer Leibovitz, Daniel Peretz, and Itay Chen, who were all killed.
Since his return Monday in a ceasefire deal, Angrest has told his family about the harsh conditions under which he was held captive and how he faced frequent torture and beatings for 738 days.