Former Hamas hostage Noa Argamani celebrated her “return to life” at a party with friends and family on Friday night after returning to Israel from speaking with diplomats of G7 countries in Tokyo.
“It’s not ideal that we’re having this party while there’s still a war in the background,” she told the crowd, as seen in a video aired by Channel 12, “while our soldiers are on the battlefield, while there are still 109 hostages there in Gaza, including my partner, Avinatan Or, who we miss terribly.”
“But at the same time, I’m happy to celebrate life itself with all of you,” she said, to cheers from her friends. “To remember that we have to value every day in this life, we have to celebrate every moment that we’re here.”
The party was titled “Dance with Noa” and was attended by her friends and family, including her father Yaakov.
Yaakov also addressed the crowd, saying that they had waited 246 days for Noa’s return.
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“I say we waited because the whole family waited, and Liora really waited, but she did see her and feel her, and God granted our wish. I honestly say to you, I didn’t know Noa. On October 7, the day she was abducted, I got to know Noa thanks to you, thanks to the wonderful friends she has,” he said.
Noa Argamani and Yaakov Argamani celebrate Noa’s return from Hamas captivity at a party titled Dance With Noa, August 23, 2024 (Twitter, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
Liora was terminally ill with cancer when Argamani was taken hostage and appealed to Hamas to let her see her daughter before she died. However, Argamani was not among the 105 hostages the terrorist organization released during a week-long truce in November.
Argamani was kidnapped from the Supernova music festival near Kibbutz Re’im on October 7, when thousands of Hamas-led terrorists stormed the Gaza border and invaded southern Israel, murdering some 1,200 people and seizing 251 hostages.
She was rescued from Nuseirat in central Gaza by IDF forces after nine months of captivity in a daring daylight operation on June 8, along with hostages Almog Meir Jan, Andrey Kozlov and Shlomi Ziv.
נועה ארגמני חוגגת מסיבת חזרה לחיים pic.twitter.com/OtKAhymwhd
— תמיר שלום (@8bg94uayBqvYfDN) August 24, 2024
Argamani was rescued in time to see Liora, who died a few weeks later.
Footage of Argamani’s abduction, in which she was seen screaming as her Hamas captor drove her away on the back of a motorcycle while her boyfriend Avinatan Or was held back, became some of the most famous footage of the October 7 terror onslaught.
Addressing G7 nations on Wednesday, Argamani spoke of her time in captivity and her fear that every night in Gaza would be her last.
Israeli Noa Argamani, who was abducted with others from the Nova music festival during Hamas’s October 7 attack on southern Israel that triggered the war, speaks during a meeting with G7 embassy representatives during a visit to Tokyo on August 21, 2024. (Richard A. Brooks / AFP)
She also underlined that her boyfriend was still being held captive and stressed the importance of getting all the hostages back as soon as possible.
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