Rescued hostage Noa Argamani told his loved ones at a “Return to Life” celebration yesterday that “we must celebrate every moment”.
The 26-year-old who was rescued from captivity during a “miraculous” mission spoke emotionally about the need to “appreciate every day”.
She was seen dancing on the shoulders of her friends, next to her father Yaakov, after they both endured unspeakable torments.
Noa was abducted on a motorbike from the Nova music festival on October 7 while her boyfriend Avinatan Or was forced to watch. He has not been seen since.
Noa was rescued in June, just in time to say goodbye to her mother, Liora, 61, before she died of brain cancer.
Footage shows Noa dancing at the party in Israel on Friday. The 26-year-old tells her friends and family: ‘I’m glad I can celebrate life itself with all of you’
Noa became the face of the attack on October 7, after a dramatic front page in the Mail on Sunday captured the final seconds of her reaching for Avinatan and shouting at her captors: ‘Don’t kill me!’
But Noa, who was held captive for 246 days before being rescued by Israeli forces on June 8, also admitted that while she was throwing a party, hostages were still being held by Hamas – including her partner, Avinatan Or (pictured with Noa before the attack on October 7)
Rescued hostage Noa Argamani told his loved ones ‘we have to celebrate every moment’ during a ‘Return to Life’ celebration yesterday. She is pictured left, dancing with her father
She has since become one of the most ardent advocates for the remaining hostages, speaking at the G7 meeting in Tokyo this week.
She said that every night in Hamas captivity she feared that “it would be my last night alive.”
“It’s a miracle that I’m here,” she said. “Avinatan, my friend, is still here, and we have to get them back before it’s too late,” she told the delegation.
Yesterday, Noa discussed the question of whether it is responsible to party while there are still a hundred hostages being held by the terrorist group in Gaza.
“I’ve been waiting for this moment for 246 days,” she said.
“It is not ideal to celebrate this holiday while there is still war, our soldiers are still on the battlefield and there are still 109 hostages in Gaza, including my partner who we miss very much.”
On the dance floor hung a large banner with Avinatan Or’s photo and the text ‘We will dance again’.
“We have to appreciate every day of this life, and we have to celebrate every moment that we’re here. We have to celebrate all the time,” she told the crowd.
Her mother Liora (right), who had stage four cancer, feared she would not live long enough to see her daughter again and begged Hamas to release her and the Israeli and US governments to bring her home.
Her father Yaakov, who was also at the party on Friday, said he and his family, including Liora, had “really waited” for Noa until “God would grant our wish” (pictured: Yaakov and Noa embrace after she was rescued)
Her mother Liora died a month ago from brain cancer, but thanks to the dramatic rescue of four hostages by the elite troops Yamam, she was able to spend time with her daughter before she passed away.
According to one of the commandos, her first question was whether her mother was still alive. “I said yes,” he said.
“She looked at us from left to right and asked again if we were sure. We said yes, ‘that’s why we came, to take you back to your mother’.”
In an interview with Mailonline, the parents of Hero Arnon Zmora, who died while saving his son, told Noa that she has to ‘live every day as if it were your last’.
Meanwhile, Israeli media reports that the Hamas delegation has arrived in Cairo to meet with Egyptian officials over the latest proposal for a hostage-taking ceasefire. Egypt, the United States and Qatar have been mediators in months of stop-start negotiations to secure a ceasefire in Gaza.
Noa Argamani, a rescued hostage, hugs her father, Yakov Argamani, in this handout image obtained by Reuters on June 8, 2024
Noa listens to Israeli Ambassador to Japan Gilad Cohen (R) speaking during a meeting with representatives of the G7 embassy during a visit to Tokyo on August 21
