A video shared by the IDF shows Hamas hostage Noa Argamani’s remarkable escape from captivity. The footage captures a Black Hawk helicopter waiting as Noa is escorted to it by the soldiers who rescued her, having been freed after eight harrowing months in captivity. Besides 26-year-old Noa, three more hostages were rescued, including Almog Meir Jan, 21, Andri Kozlov, 27, and Shlomi Ziv, 41.
Hamas tragically abducted Noa on October 7 last year
Israeli special forces from the IDF, the Israeli police’s elite counter-terrorism unit, and intelligence unit Shin Bet launched the “high-risk” rescue mission on Saturday, June 8, in the central Gazan Nuseirat refugee camp.
They targeted two buildings occupied by Hamas, where the hostages were being held. Hamas tragically abducted Noa on October 7 last year, while she was attending the Supernova music festival in Israel. At the time, a video of her kidnapping went viral, showing her screaming for help while being taken away by Hamas terrorists, her arms stretched towards her boyfriend, Avinatan Or. Avinatan was also kidnapped and is possibly still being held hostage in Gaza by the terrorist group.
After her rescue, Noa, a Chinese-born Israeli citizen, had an emotional and tearful reunion with her father, Yakov Argamani. A video of the father and daughter embracing each other went viral. Noa was also reunited with her mother Liora, who is battling stage four brain cancer and had earlier expressed her wish to see her daughter before the illness claimed her life.
After being rescued, Noa spoke to Israeli President Isaac Herzog over the phone. Expressing her gratitude, she said, “I am so happy to be here. Thank you for everything, thank you for this moment.” Noa’s overjoyed father revealed that, coincidentally, his daughter was reunited with him on his birthday. “See what a gift I received for my birthday,” he said in a statement. Calling for the release of other hostages, Yakov said, “We must make every effort, in every way possible, to bring them here to Israel, to their families.”