One of the four hostages freed from Gaza on Saturday, Noa Argamani, was featured in one of the most emblematic images of the October 7 attacks carried out by Hamas. The 25-year-old woman, who was kidnapped from the Nova music festival, made headlines worldwide after a video emerged of her shouting and pleading from the seat of a motorbike as a group of Hamas fighters drove away with her.
In the video, Argamani's boyfriend, fellow Israeli citizen Avinatan Or, is also led away by Hamas fighters. Four months later in February, Argamani's father Yaakov recounted how he felt when he first saw the video of his daughter: 'When I saw the video I fainted. It tore me. This is our only daughter.' When you see a video like this it simply crushes you,' he added.
Noa's mother Liora Argamani is a Chinese citizen who has been grappling with late-stage brain cancer. In a video released last November, she made a desperate plea to be able to see her daughter one more time. 'I don't know how long I have left. I wish for the chance to see my Noa at home,' her mother said.
Argamani's family had previously received signs that she was still alive. The young woman was featured in a video released by Hamas on January 16, in which she announced the death of two fellow hostages in Hamas captivity. It was not clear at the time whether Argamani was speaking under duress.
