Hamas hostage Noa celebrates taste of freedom

Noa Argamani returned to the arms of her father today after 245 days spent in dire captivity in the beleaguered Gaza Strip.

Noa, who was taken hostage by Hamas on the back of a motorcycle on October 7, was among four hostages rescued in a dramatic firefight with IDF forces earlier today.

Emotional scenes showed Noa, 26, reunited with her father on his birthday - the first time in more than half a year that they had seen each other since her capture from the Supernova Music Festival.

Video showed Noa reintegrating back into civilian life, pictured hugging her father Yakov - and calling with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to express her relief.

Noa will now hope to be able to see her mother, Liora Argamani, who has repeatedly shared her prayers to see her daughter again since her diagnosis with stage 4 cancer.

Noa smiles while having a drink of coke with her father Yakov after being reunited today

Noa Argamani, kidnapped by Hamas on October 7, is reunited with her father 

Noa Argamani, 25, was seen kidnapped on the back of motorbike during the horrifying terrorist attacks

Noa, who is 26, was kidnapped from the Nova music festival on October 7 and taken into Gaza 

Noa was one of just 19 women that are still being held by the terror group 

Hamas later appeared in a chilling hostage video in January

Noa's mother Liora Argamani has stage 4 brain cancer and has repeatedly expressed her desire to see her daughter again

Noa Argamani made front pages around the world when she was dragged into Gaza by Hamas on October 7.

Images of her being kidnapped on the back of a motorcycle with her boyfriend, Avinatan Or, horrified onlookers and saw international condemnation land with Hamas.

In January, Hamas released a chilling video of Noa from captivity and apparently under duress, calling on Netanyahu to 'please stop the war' and 'bring us home'.

The Israeli prime minister vowed to vanquish Hamas and release all the hostages in spite of calls from allies and critics for a ceasefire.

The operation to rescue Noa was the largest and most successful of the war so far.

Almog Meir Jan, 21, Andrey Kozlov, 27, and Shlomi Ziv, 40, were also recovered in a daytime operation in two separate locations in the heart of Nuseirat.

Israel says more than 130 hostages remain, with about a quarter of those believed dead, and divisions are deepening in the country over how to bring them home.

Following her release, Noa was pictured enjoying a Coca Cola with her father, and filmed receiving phone calls from President Isaac Herzog and Netanyahu. 

'I am so happy to be here,' she said in her call with Herzog in a video distributed by his office.

'Thank you for everything, thank you for this moment,' she said, sitting with her father in a hospital room.

In another video, speaking on the phone with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Noa said, 'I am very moved. I haven't heard Hebrew for so long.'

She was kidnapped along with her boyfriend Avinatan Or from the Supernova festival on the morning of October 7. Her boyfriend is still believed to remain in captivity. 

In a statement, the IDF said: 'The hostages were rescued by the IDF, ISA and 'Yamam' forces from two separate locations in the heart of Nuseirat. 

'They are in good medical condition and have been transferred to the 'Sheba' Tel-HaShomer Medical Centre for further medical examinations.

'The security forces will continue to make every effort to bring the hostages home.'

The Mail On Sunday front page after the October 7 attacks - featuring Noa's plea 'Don't kill me'

People wave to IDF forces taking off in a helicopter after bringing hostages to Tel HaShomer hospital on June 8, 2024 in Ramat Gan, Israel

A helicopter and Isaeli Special Forces stand outside Tel HaShomer Hospital in Tel Aviv today

21-year-old Almog Meir, one of the four Israeli hostages rescued, leaves a vehicle to be taken to the Sheba Medical Center in Tel Aviv earlier today

Noa was filmed hugging her father today in emotional scenes after her long stint in captivity

In another video, speaking on the phone with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Noa said, 'I am very moved. I haven't heard Hebrew for so long'

Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant approving the operation to rescue the hostages together with IDF Chief of the General Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, Head of the IDF's Intelligence Directorate Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva and Maj. Gen. (Res.) Nitsan Alon

Israel army spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said the operation took place in two separate buildings 'in the heart of a civilian neighbourhood'.

'While under fire inside the buildings, under fire on the way out from Gaza, our forces rescued our hostages,' Hagari said in a televised statement.

An Israeli soldier was 'critically wounded' in the operation, which took place around 11:00 am (0800 GMT), he added.

'The message this morning to Hamas is clear: we are determined to bring back home all the hostages.'

'This is one of the most heroic and extraordinary operations I have witnessed over the course of 47 years serving in Israel's defense establishment,' he later added.  

'IDF, ISA and Special Forces, as well as the forces who supported [those in the field] have conducted an unprecedented operation - daring in nature, planned brilliantly and executed in an extraordinary fashion.'

'Our troops showed so much courage - operating under heavy fire in the most complex [urban environment in Gaza],' he continued.

'I do not remember having completed operations of this kind - at this intensity and with this level of cooperation and success.'

A military spokesperson said this afternoon that the rescue was weeks in planning.

Black and white video showed three hostages taking of in an Israeli helicopter after their rescue earlier today. 

The operation, the most successful by the IDF in eight months of war, was met with jubilation from groups working on behalf of hostages still in Gaza. 

The Hostages Families Forum Headquarters - a volunteer-based organisation set up to help bring hostages home - called the recovery of the four hostages 'a miraculous triumph', and called on Israel's government to bring home those still being held.

They said in a statement: 'The heroic operation by the IDF that freed and brought home Noa Argamani, Shlomi Ziv, Andrey Kozlov, and Almog Meir Jan is a miraculous triumph. 

'Now, with the joy that is washing over Israel, the Israeli government must remember its commitment to bring back all 120 hostages still held by Hamas - the living for rehabilitation, the murdered for burial.

'We continue to call upon the international community to apply the necessary pressure on Hamas to accept the proposed deal and release the other 120 hostages held in captivity; every day there is a day too far.'

Noa's father (pictured in November), Yakov, said doctors have told the family his wife, Liora, does not have long to live in November

Yakov sits with Noa's friends in November, who arranged for a song to be performed in honour of Noa and her boyfriend Avi Natan, who was also abducted from the Nova festival

A video circulated on social media which allegedly showed Noa in captivity in Gaza

Her boyfriend, Avi Nathan, distraught and helpless, was also seen on video being kidnapped on October 7. Her boyfriend is still believed to remain in captivity

A photograph taken in 2023 of Avi Natan, who was also abducted from the Nova festival

Released hostage Almog Meir Jan reacts after emerging alive from the central Gaza Strip on Saturday, in Ramat Gan, Israel, today

Andrey Kozlov, a released hostage reacts, after the military said that Israeli forces

Andrey Kozlov, an Israeli hostage who was kidnapped in the deadly October attacks, undated

Shlomi Ziv has also been rescued. He was also captured at the Nova music festival

Almog Meir has also been found. He was also captured at the Nova music festival

Family members of hostages react as they walk towards a medical center after the military said that Israeli forces have rescued four hostages alive from the central Gaza Strip today

A Hamas official said Israel's freeing of four hostages after nine months was 'a sign of failure not an achievement'.

A spokesperson said dozens of people, including children, have been killed and injured in the operation.

Indeed, Saturday's operation is the largest recovery of living hostages since the war erupted, bringing the total of rescued captives to seven of some 250 taken in October.

Two men were rescued in February when troops stormed a heavily guarded apartment in a densely packed town, and a woman was rescued in the aftermath of October's attack.

Israeli troops have also so far recovered at least 16 bodies of hostages from Gaza, according to the government.

Netanyahu is facing growing pressure to end the fighting in Gaza, with many Israelis urging him to embrace a deal announced last month by US President Joe Biden, but far-right allies are threatening to collapse his government if he does.

Families of hostages and their supporters in Israel continue to mount large protests in Tel Aviv calling for an end to the hostilities and the drawing up of a deal to return those still in Gaza.

Israel's allies abroad, as well as her critics and aid groups working in the Gaza Strip, have also urged the administration to do all it can to carve out peace terms with Hamas after eight months of bloodshed.

In London today, protesters marched for a 15th in a coordinated effort between groups from across the country to call for a ceasefire.

Israel's offensive has killed at least 36,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between fighters and civilians in its figures.

The rescue operation comes at a sensitive time with Israel facing mounting pressure over the reports of civilian casualties in Gaza, and the worsening humanitarian crisis.

The world watched in horror as reports emerged claiming 39 people had been killed in a UN school in central Gaza earlier this week. 

The IDF claimed the compound was being used as a Hamas command post.

Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz was widely expected to announce his resignation from the emergency government today - but cancelled a statement planned for this afternoon after Israel announced the hostage releases.

With Gantz gone, Netanyahu would lose the backing of a centrist bloc that has helped broaden support for the government in Israel and abroad, at a time of increasing diplomatic and domestic pressure.

Instead, Netanyahu would have to rely more heavily on the political backing of ultra-nationalist parties, whose leaders angered Washington even before the war and who have since called for a return to a complete Israeli occupation of Gaza.

Analysts expect this would likely increase strains already apparent in relations with the United States and intensify public pressure at home, with the months-long military campaign still not achieving its stated goals - the destruction of Hamas and the return of 120 remaining hostages held in Gaza.

Supporters and family members of hostages walk react to the news of the rescue

Supporters of hostages nervously await news of the hostage rescue operation

In another video, speaking on the phone with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Noa said, 'I am very moved. I haven't heard Hebrew for so long'

Relatives of rescued Israeli hostages that were freed pose with an Israeli flag outs Sheba Tel-HaShomer Medical Centre in Ramat Gan on June 8, 2024 

People react after the military said that Israeli forces have rescued four hostages 

Sickening footage showed the moment Israeli hostage Noa was seized by Hamas and driven to Gaza on the back of a motorbike (pictured) on October 7

This picture of Noa - her arms outstretched toward her boyfriend as she screams for help - became one of the most recognisable images of the atrocities after it was published by The Mail on Sunday on October 8

But the release of four hostages today marks a significant milestone for the administration as it looks to keep support for its operations in Gaza.

The story of Noa Argamani, taken hostage from a peace festival in southern Israel on October 7, shocked the world as Israel took the fight into Gaza.

After Noa was captured, she appeared in a chilling hostage video in January, speaking to camera alongside fellow captives Yossi Sharabi, 53, and Itai Svirsky, 38. 

The two men were later reported to have been killed, with Noa forced to announce their deaths. 

Hamas also published a 'psychological terror' video of what was believed to be the voice of Noa Argamani on May 31.

It sparked outcry from her family and campaigners who have called for the government to bring her and the other hostages in Gaza home. 

The voice identified as Noa can be heard saying: 'I am imprisoned with Al-Qassam Brigades [the armed wing of Hamas].

'I have been in captivity for more than 237 days and do not know till when.

'I say to the people of Israel: Have you become government partners with Netanyahu, Gallant and Gantz? Will my fate together with my colleagues be like Ron Arad's fate?'

Ron Arad was an Israeli airman who bailed out of his plane during a mission over southern Lebanon in 1986 and was taken hostage. Israel has tried to locate him for decades but he is now presumed dead.

The Argamani Family initially released a statement via the Hostages & Missing Families Forum shortly after the video began circulating asking that it not be broadcast.

But soon after, the forum provided the following statement, allowing the publication of the video with the family's approval.

'After assessing the situation and receiving additional information, the Argamani family has approved the use of a video in which Noa Argamani was heard while being held hostage by Hamas,' it said.

'Alongside Noa's voice, drawings are shown, which the family believes to be scribbles that Noa has drawn.'

A poster of Noa is seen in the Florentin neighborhood of Tel Aviv, Israel, May 11, 2024

Noa's voice was heard on May 31, accompanied with drawings which her family believe were done by the young woman

Israeli civilians were taken off the street and driven back into Gaza on October 7

Footage showed hostages being taken by Hamas militants into Gaza on October 7

Onlookers were also captured by the desperate situation of Noa's mother, currently in China with stage 4 brain cancer. 

Liora Argamani has repeatedly expressed her desire to see her daughter again and late last year made a last ditch plea to US President Joe Biden begging him for the opportunity to 'hug' her daughter 'one last time' before she dies.

She said: 'I am terminally ill with Stage 4 brain cancer.

'All that's running through my mind before I part ways with my family forever is the chance to hug my daughter, my only child, one last time

'My daughter Noa is a contagiously happy and resilient young woman.

'She loves to dance, loves music, loves being with her friends and family.'

In March, she made another please to the President, saying in a video message: 'My heart really hurts. On one hand it's physical, it's not working the way it should. One the other hand, because my daughter is a hostage.

'Since the kidnapping, when I see her look in this picture, it chokes me up.

'How beautiful she is, how amazing she is. I want to see [my daughter] one more time. Talk to her one more time,' she pleaded.

'I am asking you President Joe Biden, I don't have a lot of time left in this world. It may be my last wish, I am really begging you.' 

U.S. President Joe Biden on Saturday welcomed the return of Noa Argamani and the other three Israeli hostages.

Speaking at a news conference with French President Emmanuel Macon, Biden said he joined his host in welcoming the return of the hostages and vowed, 'We won't stop working until all the hostages come home and a ceasefire is reached.'

Palestinians evacuate dead and wounded in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip in Deir al Balah today

A Palestinian man carries a casualty in the aftermath of an Israeli strike today

Palestinians evacuate dead and wounded in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip today

Palestinians evacuate dead and wounded in Deir al Balah today

Smoke billows in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza strip amid Israeli bombardment on June 6

The Gaza Strip continues to endure heavy bombardment, sparking outcry from aid groups

A Palestinian girl watches as others check a UN-school housing displaced people hit during Israeli bombardment in Nuseirat, on June 6

A Palestinian boy looks at a pool of blood at the UN school after Israeli strikes, on June 6

The Israeli military said in a separate statement today that forces were 'targeting terrorist infrastructure in the area of Nuseirat'.

A Gaza hospital reported that Israeli strikes in central areas of the territory, including in Nuseirat camp, killed at least 15 people on Saturday.

'Intense Israeli air strikes in central governorate left at least 15 martyrs and tens wounded who have been brought to Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital,' the spokesman for the facility, doctor Khalil al-Dakran, told AFP.

Dakran said the casualties had come from in and around Nuseirat camp as well as Deir al-Balah, where the hospital is located.

Hamas said in a separate statement: 'There are dozens of bodies of martyrs and wounded lying on the ground, in the streets, and in safe rooms.'

The group added that Israeli forces were engaged in a 'brutal and savage aggression on Nuseirat camp'.

AFPTV video showed thick plumes of smoke billowing into the sky from several buildings in Nuseirat.

Hamas's government media office said at least 210 people were killed on Saturday in Israeli attacks on a central Gaza camp from which four hostages were rescued.

'The number of victims from the Israeli occupation's massacre in the Nuseirat camp has risen to 210 martyrs and more than 400 wounded,' the office said in a statement later in the afternoon.

In recent weeks the military has carried out intense air and ground assaults in and around Nuseirat.

On Thursday, the military struck a school turned shelter run by the UN agency for supporting Palestinian refugees, also known as UNRWA, which the Al-Aqsa hospital said had killed 37 people.

The Israeli military acknowledged it conducted the strike in the Nuseirat refugee camp that targeted the UN school, saying it killed 17 'terrorists' there.

In February, another rescue mission freed two hostages, but the health ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza said heavy air strikes that accompanied that mission killed around 100 people in Rafah, southern Gaza.