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Argamani was inside one of the two Hamas-occupied three- to four-story buildings housing captives that the IDF targeted. (Screengrab)
Argamani, a 26-year-old China-born Israel citizen, was one of four hostages rescued during the operation.
Israeli police on Sunday released dramatic footage capturing the moment Israeli special forces rescued Noa Argamani from Hamas captivity during an operation in Gaza, eight months after she was taken hostage.
Argamani was among the four hostages who were rescued alive from a Gaza refugee camp last week after two operations that left dozens of Palestinians dead and wounded. A 26-year-old China-born Israel citizen, Argamani was abducted by Hamas from a music festival on October 7 and was saved inside an apartment building in central Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp on June 8.
Argamani, who survived the assault at the music festival where 360 people were killed, was abducted and taken to Gaza on the back of a terrorist-driven motorcycle, the New York Post reported. “Noa everything is okay, we are taking you home,” an officer tells Argamani in the clip released by the Israel Police on Saturday. “We’re taking you home Noa. You’re safe, we’re taking you to the vehicle.”
She was inside one of the Hamas-occupied buildings housing captives. Amidst the raid, Argamani was rushed out of the building and carried on the back of one of the Israeli commandos. A blast is heard as the Israeli unit appears to wait in a doorway while gunfire is exchanged between the warring sides.
The Israeli forces then rushed to a vehicle from where she was ultimately brought to a medical center near Tel Aviv. “We’re from the Yaman (Police) and Shabak (ISA),” one person explains to Argamani inside the vehicle. “We are very excited that you’re here and we’re proud of you.” “I am very excited, just very scared about the journey,” Argamani tells her rescuers. She was immediately reassured that “everything is ok, you are with us, it’s all ok.”
After she was rescued, Argamani said she was forced to dress as a Palestinian woman on the rare occasions she was brought outside. She was also moved between several apartments over the eight months she was held captive. The 26-year-old was forced to announce that fellow Gaza hostages were killed in the attack in a propaganda video released in January. After her release, viral photos showed a free Argamani alongside her father. Video of her rescue comes five days after a similar video was released that showed Israeli forces rescuing three other hostages.
(With agency inputs)
