During a daylight assault in central Gaza on Saturday, Israeli security forces freed four captives, among them Noa Argamani, who went viral after horrifying footage of her kidnapping went viral. The captives were moved to the Sheba Tel-HaShomer Medical Center, which is close to Tel Aviv. According to the officials, the hostages there are in “good medical condition.”
A Celebration For Israel
The Israel Defense Forces, the Israel Securities Authority, and the Israel Police released a statement identifying the freed captives as Argamani, 25, Almog Meir Jan, 21, Andrey Kozlov, 27, and Shlomi Ziv, 40. They were among those taken hostage by Hamas on October 7 during the Nova music event.
In Israel, the news was welcomed with great celebration. As lifeguards read out each person’s name one by one over a loudspeaker, the throng on a Tel Aviv beach applauded.
Argamani Feels Happy To Speak Hebrew Again
Social media users have been sharing a video of Argamani with her father. After her escape, she also had phone contact with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “I’m ecstatic,” she declared. “It feels like a long time since I spoke Hebrew.” Argamani’s friend Yan Gorjaltsan, who is from their hometown of Be’er Sheva, told NBC News that he was traveling to Tel Aviv with some pals to see her. He declared, “These are the happiest days of our lives.” “You have no idea how we feel.”
The rescue occurred at a time when thousands of people were routinely protesting in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, increasing pressure on Netanyahu to reach a deal for the release of the captives.
A Great Light In The Terrible Darkness
The group that calls for the release of the hostages, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, described the rescue as a “miraculous” success and demanded that the government “bring back all 120 hostages still held by Hamas.” It also urged Hamas to agree to the cease-fire plan that President Joe Biden had presented.
Yair Lapid, the leader of the Israeli opposition, hailed the hostages’ return and called the rescue “a great light in a terrible darkness.”
The roughly 10-second video of Argamani, a student studying data science and engineering, screaming as she was taken away on a motorcycle went viral and came to represent the hostage situation in Israel. Because Liora, her mother, has terminal brain cancer, her loved ones felt that their efforts to release her were a race against time. When Argamani was a captive, he turned 26. It’s thought that Avinatan Or, her boyfriend, is still in Gaza.
The Other Rescues From Israel
The Times of Israel reported that Almog Meir Jan was discharged from the army some months before the assault. Along with a buddy, he attempted to escape the festival, but they were apprehended after only a short distance. Shlomi Ziv was trying to escape while working as a security guard at Nova. He had contacted his sisters. Andrey Kozlov, who was employed as a security guard at the festival, just relocated from Russia to Israel.
With this operation on Saturday, the IDF has successfully freed hostages from Gaza twice since October 7. During a nighttime expedition in February, two hostages were freed from the southern city of Rafah. Three hostages’ bodies were found in May at the Jabalia camp in northern Gaza.
In all, some 250 captives were taken prisoner by Hamas on October 7. A week-long cease-fire in November saw the release of almost half of them; however, Israel reports that over 130 are still in detention, with over 25% of them thought to be dead.
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