It has been revealed that Israeli hostage Noa Argamani, who was freed from the clutches of Hamas in a daring IDF raid last week, told the families of her other hostages how they were being held as slaves in Gaza.
Shira Albag, the mother of IDF soldier Liri, who was also kidnapped and dragged back to Gaza on October 7, told Israeli media today that Noa explained how their Hamas captors forced them to cook and clean and refused to let them bathe.
“Noa said they were slaves, as did the (IDF) observers, Liri among them,” Albag said. “They cleaned their garden, washed the dishes and prepared food they couldn’t eat.”
He joked that Liri, who remains in the Gaza Strip, was held in a “luxury villa” where she was allowed to shower, but only after a month in captivity.
‘After 40 days, they took her to the tunnels. It’s much worse. There is only salt water and little food. There are no clothes to change,” she added.
It comes as an Israeli special forces soldier who embarked on the heroic rescue of Noa revealed that his first thoughts were of his terminally ill mother, Liora, despite being held captive without sunlight for 245 days.
The special forces operator said Noa’s first words after being saved were: ‘Is my mother still alive?’
After 245 days in captivity, Argamani was rescued on Saturday in an IDF raid that also freed three male captives: Almog Meir Jan, 22, Andrey Kozlov, 27, and Shlomi Ziv, 41. Here she is seen hugging his father after they were reunited. on Saturday
Noa Argamani, one of four Israeli hostages rescued from Gaza by the IDF on Saturday, has been photographed hugging her boyfriend’s mother. The 26-year-old was photographed hugging Ditza Or, the mother of Avinatan Or, who is one of several people taken hostage by Hamas on October 7 and taken to Gaza.
Noa Argamani speaks by phone with Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Saturday
Noa Argamani is pictured being kidnapped and driven across the desert.
An Israeli special forces soldier who embarked on Noa’s heroic rescue revealed that his first thoughts were of his terminally ill mother, Liora, despite being held captive without sunlight for 245 days.
Shira Albag (left), the mother of IDF soldier Liri (right), who was also kidnapped and dragged back to Gaza on October 7, told Israeli media today that Noa explained how their Hamas captors forced them to cook and clean and they refused to leave them. take a bath
Members of the Yamam counterterrorism unit, which specializes in hostage rescue, revealed the emotional exchange in their first interview since last week’s rescue, which was published today in Israel.
Last week, elite fighters broke into the building where Noa, 26, was being held and told her: ‘Noa, we are here to save you. We are here to take you home.
‘The first question he asked was: ‘Is my mother still alive?’ he told Israeli army radio channel Galatz.
“I said yes, she looked at everyone and then asked, ‘Are you sure?’ We said, ‘Yes, Noa, we’re here to take you back to your mother.’
He added: “She was very scared, very scared, but she cooperated. She was barefoot. One of the combatants put her on her back and then put her in the car.
The vehicle then raced to the beach where a helicopter was supposed to evacuate them, but the car got stuck when a huge shootout broke out.
They managed to fight off the terrorists and get the vehicle moving again before reaching the rendezvous point just in time.
“In the car I was still in shock,” the fighter said. “She still didn’t understand what was happening and then she said, ‘I’m still a little afraid of the road.'”
‘But at least we understood that she was already communicating well with us. One of the fighters also gave her a candy to try to reduce her stress.
Noa was saved along with Almog Meir Jan, 21, Andrey Kozlov, 27, and Shlomi Ziv, 40, all of whom were kidnapped at the Nova Festival on October 7.
Noa Argamani reunites with her father after the daring rescue of four Israeli hostages in Operation Arnon
A screen displays an image of Noa Argamani, who was kidnapped during the deadly October 7 attack and, according to the military, rescued by Israeli forces, amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, in Tel Aviv, Israel , June 10, 2024.
Argamani was seen on video begging the terrorists not to kill her as they dragged her away on the back of a motorcycle.
Unbeknownst to her, Argamani became an icon of the fight to free hostages during her time in captivity after the video of her kidnapping went around the world.
A soldier from the Israeli rescue unit, Arnon Zmora, died from a shot to the head while rescuing the three men who were being held 200 meters from Noa.
Noa has been caring for Liora, 61, who has stage four brain cancer, since the incredible rescue.
Throughout her time in captivity, Liora made a series of heartbreaking calls to see her daughter before her death, and the couple enjoyed an emotional reunion in hospital hours after Noa landed.
Israel first received intelligence information about the location of the four hostages in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza on May 12.
A team of undercover agents was sent to smuggle into the area and gather more information, the Jewish Chronicle reported.
A team of undercover soldiers, including women in hijabs, arrived in the area posing as two Gaza families fleeing Israeli bombing.
They pointed out the building where Noa was being held and offered a huge sum of cash to get a house, managing to get a location on the same street within three hours.
Special forces made up of undercover Yamam and Shin Bet agents surround one of two heavily guarded buildings in Al Nuseirat, Gaza.
Helmet camera footage showed how Israeli operators rescued the hostages.
Having established a base just 800 meters from where the hostages were being held, Israeli agents sent information to Israel that allowed Yamam’s fighters to prepare.
“We knew she was a girl, a hostage; we didn’t know who exactly she was until a day or two before the operation,” said one of Yamam’s fighters.
Upon learning Noa’s identity, they had to clear her mind of her emotional personal story.
“I found out his mother was in the hospital in critical condition,” another member of the unit said. ‘I didn’t know and she affected me a little.
“I’m trying to put it aside because my goal is to focus on the mission and not let anything affect my decisions on the ground.”
Noa came home on her father Yaakov’s 69th birthday.
He appeared to be in good physical shape, but doctors warned that the road to mental recovery is long.