One of the Israeli hostages who was rescued by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Israel Security Agency (ISA) was reunited with her mother, who is terminally ill with cancer.
Noa Argamani, 25, was one of the four hostages who was rescued as part of a joint operation conducted by the IDF, ISA, and the Israeli police. Argamani has been one of the most widely recognized hostages taken by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023.
Since being rescued, Argamani has been reunited with her family, especially her mother, Liora Argamani, who “is hospitalized” from a “very advanced cancer,” Ronni Gamzu, a professor and doctor confirmed, and the Times of Israel reported, citing Ynet News. Liora, 61, has been diagnosed with stage four brain cancer.
“Noa’s mother is hospitalized here due to a very advanced cancer, the last eight months have been extremely complex and difficult, and her condition has progressed even over the past few days and it’s a serious situation,” Gamzu told the outlet.
Video footage posted to X shows Noa exiting a van after arriving at Ichilov Hospital where her mother is being hospitalized. As she arrives at the hospital and is seen walking toward the entrance, a crowd of people can be heard cheering and welcoming her.
Noa was abducted from the Supernova Music Festival, and video footage surfaced of her abduction showing her in between two men on a motorcycle reaching out for her boyfriend.
A poster of Noa Argamani is taped to one of the empty chairs for hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip as relatives and their supporters gather together to mark the start of Shabbat, outside of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s official residence to call for an immediate deal to release their loved ones, in Jerusalem, Friday, May 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)
News of Noa’s release comes after Hamas released a video containing an audio recording of the hostage. In the video, Noa can be heard encouraging Israeli citizens to protest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli government, and pleading for Israelis not to place the fate of the hostages into “the hands of Netanyahu and the War Council.”
Noa’s mother released a video in November 2023 revealing that she was sick with “brain cancer” and that she wanted the chance “to see” Noa before she passed away.
“I call upon President Biden and the Red Cross to bring back my Noa as soon as possible so that I get the chance to see her,” Liora said in the video. “Noa, I want to tell you if I don’t get to see you, please know that I love you very much. Please know we did everything we could to get you released.”
Hamas also released a video in January of Noa being forced to announce the death of two other hostages. The hostages had appeared in a video with Noa the day before the announcement of their deaths.
Gamzu added that the “reunion” between Noa and her family came “after a lot of anticipation and many months.”
“Noa learned together with the whole family about her mother’s complex condition,” Gamzu added. “Noa herself is in good condition and will of course continue with tests and evaluation.”