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Israeli hostage taken by Hamas in 2023 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
On 7 October 2023, Noa Argamani (Hebrew: נועה ארגמני), an Israeli woman, was abducted by Hamas during the Re'im music festival massacre, part of the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel. In one of the first Hamas videos released of the massacre, she was seen being taken away on a motorcycle as she yelled, "Don't kill me!" Her arms were outstretched toward her boyfriend Avinatan Or, who was also kidnapped.[1][2][3][4] The footage of her kidnapping became a symbol of the hostage crisis and led to Argamani being described as "the face of the Nova music festival hostages".[5]
Noa Argamani | |
|---|---|
נועה ארגמני | |
Screenshot of video showing Noa's abduction | |
| Born | 12 October 1997 |
| Nationality | Israeli |
| Known for | Abduction at the Re'im music festival massacre |
In March 2024, Argamani’s Chinese-born mother Liora, who was suffering from late-stage brain cancer, made a public plea to see her daughter one last time. She urged US President Joe Biden to help secure her daughter's release. The family had indications that Argamani was still alive, as she had appeared in a Hamas video released in January 2024.[6]
On 8 June 2024, after 245 days in captivity, Argamani and three other hostages were rescued from Gaza in a joint operation by the Israel Defense Forces, Shin Bet, and the Israel Police that also killed at least 274 Palestinians according to the Gaza Health Ministry.[7] She was subsequently reunited with her family, although her mother died three weeks after her rescue.[8]
Noa Argamani was born in Israel on 12 October 1997 to Yaakov and Liora Argamani.[9][lower-alpha 1] She is their only child.[11] Her mother Liora Argamani, also known as Li Chunhong in Chinese, was from the Chinese city of Wuhan and was a former national of China.[10] Prior to her abduction, she studied at Ben Gurion University[12] where she met her boyfriend of two years, Avinatan Or.[13] During her compulsory military service, she served in the Israeli Navy.[14][15]
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 Video of Noa's abduction | |
 Woman kidnapped by Hamas fighters in front of helpless boyfriend at Israeli festival |
On 7 October 2023, as part of the initial incursion of the 2023 Israel-Hamas war, Hamas militants crossed from the Gaza Strip into Israel and attacked the Supernova Sukkot Gathering music festival, an open-air music festival in the western Negev desert.[16] Argamani was attending the festival with her boyfriend Avinatan Or and was shown in a now viral video along with Or being captured by Hamas militants.[2] The Israeli government "condemned the video as psychological warfare propaganda."[17] Her friend Amit Parparia indicated that they did not want to believe the video depicted Argamani and Or, but could not deny it as "Its just her face, her clothes and it's her boyfriend."[1]
In the video, Argamani can be heard screaming "Don't kill me! No, no, no!" while being forced onto a motorcycle by members of Hamas.[18][19] The video also shows Or being restrained by two other men.[18][19] Or's brother, Moshe, reportedly learned of the video by emergency teams and viewed it before giving his approval for the media to publish it.[18][19] An additional video of her abduction was released in April 2024, which showed her being forced onto the motorcycle and restrained with her head covered with a black bag.[20] Argamani has been seen in a later footage that appears to show her drinking water in a room in Gaza.[18][19]
Allegations were raised during an NBC report that Argamani was not abducted by Hamas forces but instead by a supposed mob of Palestinians from Gaza. This theory was posited by anonymous supposed Israeli military officials who stated their reasoning being those filmed abducting Argamani wore no official uniforms and she appeared to have been abducted several hours after the attack.[21]
| Still image from video released by Hamas | |
|---|---|
 Click here for image |
On 14 January 2024, Hamas released a video showing Argamani and two male hostages asking Israel to bring them home.[22][23] The next day, Hamas released another video showing Argamani stating that the two male hostages had been killed in Israeli airstrikes.[24] In an interview after her rescue, Argamani explained she was forced to record that video. The hostages who died were identified as Yossi Sharabi and Itay Svirsky.[25]
On 31 May 2024, Hamas released a video featuring the voice of Argamani.[26]
Argamani's abduction was featured on the front page of 8 October edition of UK's Mail on Sunday.[11] News of Argamani's abduction and her ties to China have been widely reported by international and Chinese media.[10] Her mother Liora has appealed to the Chinese embassy for help in freeing her daughter.[10] Argamani's father Yaakov reportedly indicated that he did not approve of violence to get his daughter freed, saying: "They also have mothers who are crying. The same as it is for us."[1]
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appealed to Chinese Ambassador Cai Run for Chinese President Xi Jinping to intervene to secure the release of Argamani.[27] After Argamani's rescue it was revealed that the Chinese government refused to provide assistance since Argamani's mother renounced her Chinese citizenship, as China does not allow dual citizenship.[28]
In March 2024, Argamani's mother, while suffering from terminal brain cancer, implored United States President Joe Biden to intervene and help bring her daughter home.[20]
| Image of the manga booklet about Noa Argamani's life | |
|---|---|
| Click here for image |
In May 2024, two weeks prior to Argamani's rescue, Japanese manga artist, Makoto Tanaka, release a booklet featuring Argamani's life story. Tanaka titled the booklet "Bring them home" (in English). The unveiling of the booklet was done at the Israeli embassy in Tokyo marking the 76 anniversary of Israel's independence, with Argamani's father in attendance.[29]
![Thumb](#/media/File:Noa_Argamani_marked_as_"Rescued"_on_the_wall_of_the_Embassy_of_Israel_in_Beijing.jpg)
At around 11 a.m. on 8 June 2024, Argamani and three other hostages were rescued from two houses in the Nuseirat refugee camp in Gaza, where they were being held by Hamas militants.[30] The Israel Defence Forces, Shin Bet, and the Israel Police jointly carried out the rescue operation,[31] after which the hostages were transported by helicopter to Sheba Medical Center for examination.[30][6] The hostages were initially reported to be in good medical condition,[31] but subsequent reports cited medical professionals' findings that they were malnourished.[32][33]
Argamani's rescue coincided with the birthday of her father, Yaakov Argamani. He commented, "What a present I received ... there’s no army like this in the world."[34] The video of their reunion was widely viewed on social media.[35][36] She spoke with president Isaac Herzog and prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu upon her return to Israel;[30][37] Netanyahu told her that "we didn't give up on you for a moment."[6] She was then transferred to Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center to visit her mother, Liora Argamani, who was being treated there for terminal brain cancer. The facility's CEO described her mother's condition as "complicated and tough" but said he believed that mother and daughter had been able to communicate.[38]
Argamani was discharged from the hospital on June 11, three days after her rescue. Upon her release, she visited with Ditza Or, the mother of her boyfriend whom she had never previously met. Argamani's boyfriend continued to be held hostage.[39][40]
Describing her experience as a hostage, Argamani told medical teams that she had not been held in the tunnels beneath Gaza; instead, she had been moved among four different apartments.[32] The mother of another hostage claimed that Argamani told her that she and some of the other female hostages were "held as slaves in a luxury villa": "They cleaned the yard, did dishes and prepared food that they were not allowed to eat."[41] At her last apartment, she was held under armed guard.[42] She had occasionally been allowed to go outside, after not seeing "daylight" for 245 days, disguised as a Palestinian woman, but was rarely permitted to shower.[25][43] She also said that she feared that every night could be her last night.[44]
She had learned some Arabic during her time in captivity and had acted as a spokeswoman for other female hostages, who were released during a truce in November 2023.[32]
On 23 August, Argamani took to social media to say that she sustained injuries in an Israeli airstrike during her captivity, and to deny false reports in some Israeli media that Hamas operatives had beaten her or shaved her hair.[45][46]
Noa Argamani's mother, Liora, died three weeks after the rescue, allowing Liora to have her dying wish "to see her daughter one last time" be fulfilled.[47]
On July 24, 2024, Argamani and her father were guests of Benjamin Netanyahu during his address to a joint session of Congress. Netanyahu recognized Argamani during his speech, and she was received with a standing ovation.[48] Argamani was criticized for joining Netanyahu, but Netanyahu defended her decision to be his guest.[49]
A couple of days after the address to Congress, Argamani and her father went to Cambria Heights, Queens to visit the Ohel, the tomb of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, where they prayed for the return of the rest of the hostages. In November 2023, her father had prayed for her safe return at the same venue, while she was being held hostage.[50][51]
In August 2024 she traveled with her father to Tokyo where she met with diplomats from G7 countries in order to promote the plight of the hostages still held by Hamas. After some of her comments were taken out of context, Argamani clarified on social media that she had sustained injuries from a building collapsing after Israeli military airstrikes and that Hamas had not cut or shaved her hair.[52][44] In the same month, she was filmed dancing in a yellow bikini at a summer party to celebrate her rescue. This attracted some criticism on social media.[53][54]
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