Israeli military rescues four hostages alive from Gaza, including Noa Argamani

Israeli
security
forces
rescued
four
hostages
during
a
daytime
raid
in
central
Gaza
Saturday,
including
Noa
Agramani,
who
became
the
face
of
the
hostages
taken
on
Oct.
7
after harrowing
video of
her
abduction
was
seen
around
the
world.

The
hostages
have
been
transferred
to
the
Sheba
Tel-HaShomer
Medical
Center
near
Tel
Aviv,
where
authorities
say
they
are
in
“good
medical
condition.”

The
rescued
hostages
are
Argamani,
25,
Almog
Meir
Jan,
21,
Andrey
Kozlov,
27,
and
Shlomi
Ziv,
40,
according
to
a
statement
issued
by
The
Israel
Defense
Forces,
Israel
Securities
Authority
and
the
Israel
Police.

They
were
among
those
kidnapped
by Hamas during
the Nova
music
festival on
Oct.
7.

The
news
was
received
with
jubilation
in
Israel.
On
a
beach
in
Tel
Aviv,
crowds
cheered
as
life
guards
announced
the
news
over
a
loud
speaker,
reading
their
names
one
by
one.

A
video
circulating
on
social
media
showed
Argamani
as
she
reunited
with
her
father.
She
also
spoke
with
Israeli
Prime
Minister
Benjamin
Netanyahu
in
a
phone
conversation
following
her
rescue.
“I’m
very
excited,”
she
said.
“I
haven’t
spoken
Hebrew
in
such
a
long
time.”

Yan
Gorjaltsan,
a
friend
of
Argamani’s
from
their
hometown
of
Be’er
Sheva
told
NBC
News
he
and
a
group
of
friends
were
on
their
way
to
Tel
Aviv
to
see
her.
“This
is
the
happiest
days
of
our
lives,”
he
said.
“You
can’t
believe
how
we’re
feeling.”

The
rescue
came
as
pressure
was
building
for
Netanyahu
to
strike
a
deal
for
the
release
of
the
hostages,
with
thousands
of
people
protesting
regularly
in
Jerusalem
and
Tel
Aviv.

The
Hostage
and
Missing
Families
Forum,
which
advocates
for
the
release
of
the
hostages,
called
the
rescue
a
“miraculous”
triumph,
adding
that
the
government
should
“bring
back
all
120
hostages
still
held
by
Hamas,”
and
called
on
Hamas
to
accept
the
cease-fire
deal
proposed
by
President
Joe
Biden. 

Israeli
opposition
leader
Yair
Lapid
called
the
rescue
“A
great
light
in
a
terrible
darkness”
and
welcomed
the
hostages
back.

Argamani,
a
data
science
engineering
student,
was
captured
screaming
as
she
was
carried
away
on
the
back
of
a
motorcycle,
in
a
roughly
10-second
clip
that
became
a
symbol
of
Israel’s
hostage
crisis.

For
her
loved
ones,
efforts
to
free
her
felt
like
a
race
against
time,
as
her
mother,
Liora,
has
terminal
brain
cancer.
Argamani
turned
26
while
in
captivity.
Her
boyfriend, Avinatan
Or,
is
believed
to
remain
in
Gaza.

Almog
Meir
Jan
was
released
from
military
service
months
before
the
attack,
according
to
the
Times
of
Israel.
He
tried
to
flee
the
festival
with
a
friend,
but
only
made
it
a
short
distance
before
he
was
captured.

Shlomi
Ziv
was
working
as
a
security
guard
at
Nova
and
had
called
his
sisters
while
attempting
to
flee.

Andrey
Kozlov
recently
moved
to
Israel
from
Russia,
and
had
also
been
working
as
a
security
guard
at
the
festival.

Saturday’s
operation
is
the
second
time
the
IDF
has
rescued
hostages
alive
from
Gaza
since
Oct.
7.
In
February, two
hostages were
rescued
from
the
southern
city
of
Rafah
during
an
overnight
mission.

In
May,
the bodies
of
three
hostages were
recovered
from
the Jabalia
camp
in
northern
Gaza. 

Hamas
captured
some
250
hostages
during
the
Oct.
7
attacks.
Roughly
half
were
released
during
a
weeklong
cease-fire
in
November
and
Israel
says
more
than
130
remain,
with
about
a
quarter
of
those
believed
dead.