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Israeli Hostage Mixed-Race Girl Released, Visits Chinese-American Mom with Terminal Cancer

Published June 9, 2024 · 2 min read
This handout picture released by the Israeli Army on June 8, 2024, shows Noa Argamani, 26-years-old, being hugged by a relative at the Sheba Tel-HaShomer Medical Centre, after her rescue from the Gaza Strip by the Israeli army, in Ramat Gan near Tel Aviv on June 8, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict in the Palestinian territory between Israel and the militant group Hamas. – Israel said its forces rescued four hostages alive from a Gaza refugee camp on June 8, after an operation that militant group Hamas said left dozens of Palestinians dead and wounded. The four had been kidnapped by Hamas from the Nova music festival during the Islamists’ October 7 attacks that sparked war with Israel, the army said. Noa Argamani, 26, Almog Meir Jan, 22, Andrey Kozlov, 27, and Shlomi Ziv, 41, had been rescued from two separate buildings “in the heart of Nuseirat” in a “complex daytime operation”, the military said, adding they were in “good medical condition”. (Photo by Handout / Israeli Army / AFP) / === RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE – MANDATORY CREDIT “AFP PHOTO / ISRAELI ARMY’ – NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS – DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS ===
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After being held captive in Gaza for eight months, Noa Argamani, a mixed-race Israeli hostage, was released on Saturday (June 6). A few hours later, she immediately visited her terminally ill mother in a hospital in Tel Aviv.

The 26-year-old Argamani was kidnapped by Hamas on October 7 last year and became one of the most prominent hostages. She was brought into Gaza on a motorcycle, pleading with her captors to spare her life and reaching out despairingly to her boyfriend who was kidnapped alongside her, a heartbreaking moment that circulated widely globally.

Her boyfriend, Avinatan Or, remains in captivity.

On Saturday, Israeli special forces carried out a rescue operation in a residential building in central Gaza, freeing Argamani and three other hostages.

“I am happy to be back here,” she said during a phone call with the Israeli President after returning to Israel. Argamani was all smiles surrounded by friends and family.

Upon her arrival at the Sourasky Medical Center in Tel Aviv, where her mother Liora is undergoing advanced treatment for brain cancer, Argamani was welcomed by a crowd.

Last October, shortly after her daughter’s abduction, during an interview with a local TV station while sitting in a wheelchair, Liora was asked how she imagined reuniting with her daughter. “At least to hug her,” Liora replied.

Ronni Gamzu, the hospital’s CEO, described the mother’s condition as “complex and challenging.” He mentioned that Liora is able to communicate and they believe she is aware that her daughter has come home.

“Over the past eight months, we have been trying to keep her in a communicative state,” Gamzu stated.

It is reported that Liora is from Wuhan.

After being flown back to Israel in a military helicopter, Noa’s father Yaakov was the first to see his daughter.

“Today is my birthday, I never thought I would receive such a gift,” Yaakov said emotionally.

According to Israeli statistics, on October 7 last year, over 360 people lost their lives during the massacre at the Nova Music Festival, with 40 others being held hostage by Hamas.

Near the Tel Aviv Central Hospital, at the “Hostage Square,” thousands of Israelis gathered for a rally to commemorate the rescue of the 4 hostages and to demand the release of the remaining 115 hostages still held in Gaza.

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