| Kidnapping of Noa Argamani | |
|---|---|
| Part of theGaza war hostage crisis | |
 A still image from abodycam worn by one of the kidnappers showing Noa Argamani being taken hostage by Hamas | |
| Location | nearRe'im, Israel |
| Date | 7 October 2023; 2 years ago (2023-10-07) |
Attack type | Kidnapping,mass murder |
| Accused | Hamas |
On 7 October 2023,Noa Argamani (Hebrew:נועה ארגמני), anIsraeli woman, wasabducted by Hamas during theRe'im music festival massacre, part of theOctober 7 attacks. In one of the firstHamas 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 boyfriendAvinatan 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]
In March 2024, Argamani's Chinese-born mother Liora, who was suffering from late-stagebrain cancer, made a public plea to see her daughter one last time. She urged US PresidentJoe 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 wererescued from Gaza in a joint operation by theIsrael Defense Forces,Shin Bet, and theIsrael Police.[7] She was subsequently reunited with her family, three weeks prior to her mother's death.[8]
After her rescue, she became an activist for the hostages who remained held in Gaza.
Noa Argamani was born in Israel on 12 October 1997 to Yaakov and Liora Argamani.[9][a] She is their only child.[11] Her mother Liora Argamani, also known as Li Chunhong in Chinese, was from the Chinese city ofWuhan and was a former national of China.[10] During her compulsory military service, she served in theIsraeli Navy.[12][13] Prior to her abduction, she studied atBen Gurion University[14] where she met her boyfriend of two years, Avinatan Or.[15]
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 westernNegev desert.[16] Argamani was attending the festival with her boyfriend Avinatan Or and was shown along with Or being captured by Hamas militants in a viral video.[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 mob of Palestinian civilians from Gaza. This theory was posited by anonymous sources claiming to be Israeli military officials, stated that their reasoning was based on the fact that 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] After her rescue, Argamani said she was held captive withYossi Sharabi andItay 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 the 8 October edition of UK'sMail 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 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 MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu appealed to ChineseAmbassador Cai Run for Chinese PresidentXi 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 themanga booklet about Noa Argamani's life | |
|---|---|
| Click here for image |
In May 2024, two weeks prior to Argamani's rescue, Japanesemanga 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 76th anniversary ofIsrael's independence, with Argamani's father in attendance.[29]
At around 11 a.m. on 8 June 2024, Argamani and three other hostages were rescued from two houses in theNuseirat refugee camp in Gaza, where they were being held by Hamas militants.[30] TheIsrael Defence Forces,Shin Bet, and theIsrael Police jointly carried out therescue operation,[31] after which the hostages were transported by helicopter toSheba 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 presidentIsaac Herzog and prime ministerBenjamin 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 toTel 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 thetunnels 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 belonging to the Abu Nar family,[42] where she was held under armed guard.[43] 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][44] She also said that she feared that every night could be her last night.[45]
She had learned some Arabic during her time in captivity and had acted as a spokeswoman for other female hostages, who were released duringa 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.[46][47]
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.[48]
On 24 July 2024, Argamani and her father were guests ofBenjamin Netanyahu duringhis address to a joint session of the U.S. Congress. Netanyahu recognized Argamani during his speech, and she was received with a standing ovation.[49] Argamani was criticized for joining Netanyahu, but Netanyahu defended her decision to be his guest.[50]
A couple of days after the address to Congress, Argamani and her father went toCambria Heights, Queens to visitthe Ohel, the tomb of RabbiMenachem 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.[51][52]
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 by Israeli media, Argamani stated on social media that she had sustained injuries from a wall collapsing due to Israeli military airstrikes and that Hamas had not beaten her or shaved her hair.[53][45] 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.[54][55]
In January 2025, Argamani, along with relatives of hostages that remained held in Hamas captivity, met with four members of the U.S. Congress: Sen.Dave McCormick (R-Pa.), Reps.Michael McCaul (R-Texas),Addison McDowell (R-N.C.), andAugust Pfluger (R-Texas) in an effort to promote the release of the hostages left behind, including her boyfriend, Avinatan Or.[56] A week later, Argamani made an appearance alongsideSara Netanyahu at theNova music festival massacre traveling exhibition inMiami. In her appearance, Argamani recounted her experience of being kidnapped and held hostage.[57] Argamani made a second public appearance at the exhibition in February 2025, this time alongside special envoySteve Witkoff who pledged to continue working for the release of all the hostages still held by Hamas.[58]
On 25 February 2025, Argamani spoke in front of theUnited Nations Security Council, recounting her experience as a hostage, and promoting a continuation of the2025 Gaza war ceasefire until all the hostages are released.[59]
In March 2025, Argamani was invited bySpeaker of the HouseMike Johnson to attendDonald Trump's 2025 speech to a joint session of Congress.[60] The next day, she was part of a delegation of former hostages who met President Trump in theWhite House to urge him to continue to work towards the release of the remaining hostages.[61] In 2025,Time magazine listed her as one ofthe world's 100 most influential people.[62]
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She was reunited with her boyfriend, Avinatan Or, who was kidnapped with her, when he was released on 13 October 2025 as part of theGaza peace plan.[63]
