Rescued Israeli hostage Noa Argamani speaks out for first time – revealing greatest fear during 245 days in captivity
FREED Israeli hostage Noa Argamani has said her “biggest worry” while being held captive by Hamas was for her parents.
In a brave video released on Saturday by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum the 26-year-old spoke out for the first time.
She called for “everything possible” to be done to free those still being held in Gaza, including her boyfriend.
Noa, hit the headlines around the word after footage emerged of her being kidnapped by supporters of the terrorist group Hamas while she was at the Nova Festival and being taken into Gaza on the back of a motorcycle while her boyfriend looked helplessly on.
Having been held for 245 days, she said in the video message it was a “great privilege to be by my mother’s side… It’s a great privilege to see my parents, surrounded by so many good people.”
Hamas and its supporters launched an attack on Israel on October 7 last year brutally murdering 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures.
Noa was rescued on June 8 by the IDF during a daring mission in Gaza.
Three other hostages were freed in the raid: Almog Meir Jan, 21, Andrey Kozlov, 27, and Shlomi Ziv, 40.
She said in the newly released video: “I mourn with the family of [counter-terrorism chief inspector] Arnon Zmora, who fell during the rescue operation of me and three other hostages.
“My heart is with his family. Arnon is a hero of Israel, and because of him, we are here.
“I want to take this opportunity to remind everyone that there are still 120 hostages in Hamas captivity.
“Among them is Avinatan Or, my partner, from whom I was separated at the moment of abduction.”
Noa added that she wishes “for all of us to have more peaceful days, to be surrounded by family, friends and good people.
“Most importantly, may we learn to love and not hate.”
The video, lasting two minutes, was shown on a giant screen in the centre of Tel Aviv last night.
She shared that she had a deep concern for her parents during the eight months she was held against her will.
Noa said: “As an only child to my parents – and a daughter to a mother with a terminal illness – my biggest worry in captivity was for my parents.
“It’s a great privilege to be here after 246 days in Hamas captivity. It’s a great privilege to be by my mother’s side after 8 months of uncertainty.
Who are the four freed hostages?
Noa Argamani
The student was at the Nova music festival in the Israeli dessert when she was kidnapped by Hamas fighters.
Harrowing footage emerged of the militants dragging her away on a motorcycle as she begged “Don’t kill me”.
The 25-year-old university student screams “Don’t kill me! No, no, no”, as the gunmen speed away with her trapped in between them.
Her boyfriend, Avinatan Or, is held tightly by two other terrorists nearby as he watches his helpless girlfriend in horror.
Noa’s family only discovered she had been taken when they stumbled upon the disturbing footage online.
Almog Meir Jan
The 21-year-old was also attending the Nova music festival on October 7 when he was seized.
His mum, Orit, said in an interview he had been due to start a new job in Israel’s “high-tech” sector on October 8.
Almog had been attending the music festival with a friend who was killed and later burned.
Orit said her son had called her at 7.45pm on October 7 to tell her the festival had been stopped and he would call her back every hour – but he never phoned again.
One of his pals is said to have identified Almog in a video clip published by Hamas several hours later.
Andrey Kozlov
The 27-year-old was working as security guard at the music festival on October 7 when he was kidnapped.
He is a native of St Petersburg, Russia, according to the Times of Israel, and had moved to Israel 18 months earlier.
Andrey lived near Tel Aviv with friends before his capture.
Shlomi Ziv
The 40-year-old was also working as a security guard at the Nova music festival.
He spoke to one of his sisters, telling her he was heading home from the festival after the Hamas attack had started.
Shlomi told her there was a bottleneck of cars, according to a Times of Israel report.
He had been at the event with a friend and relative of his wife.
Both died in the massacre.
It was several weeks before his family knew he had been taken hostage.
“It’s a great privilege to see my parents, surrounded by so many good people.”
Noa was reunited with her mum Liora, who has stage four brain cancer, at the Ichilov Medical Centre in Tel Aviv shortly after she was pulled out of Gaza by Israeli special forces.
Her hum had repeatedly expressed her desire to see her daughter again, fearing she might die before her daughter was released.
When they were reunited, doctors said they believe Liora “understood” her daughter was safe but wasn’t able to express her feelings.
Her dad, describing the reunion between his daughter and wife, said: “Unfortunately her mother is in a very difficult condition. They met, but it was very difficult.”
The IDF rescue mission took place in the heart of Nuseirat in the Gaza Strip.
A relative of Noa told reporters that the military had banged on the door of where she was being held in Gaza and yelled they had come to rescue her.
Asaf Shaibi said: “She told me a little. It was 10am and they banged on the door and shouted ‘It’s the IDF and we’ve come to rescue you’.
He added: “She is strong. She has met with her family and the prime minister [Benjamin Netanyahu].”
Officers from the elite police counter-terrorism unit Yamam along with Shin Bet agents simultaneously raided two buildings in the heart of central Gaza.
Noa was rescued at one site, while Almog Meir Jan, Andrey Kozlov, and Shlomi Ziv were at a second location.
The raid is said to be one of the deadliest carried out by Israel since the war started.
The IDF has said that the four hostages were being held by terrorists in the homes of Gaza families in two Hamas-controlled buildings.
Hamas has previously been accused of using civilians as human shields.
The terrorist group’s media office claimed “210 matyrs” had been killed in the Israeli operation – but this figure was disputed by medics on the ground who gave much lower estimates of around 70.
Hamas has not said how many of those were combatants.
An Israeli special forces commander was killed during the operation, a police statement said.