Noa Argamani recalls horrors of captivity, warns of dire conditions for hostages
At president’s residence, rescued captive says she was injured by an airstrike in Gaza that killed another hostage; Herzog says ‘hostages are in grave danger’
Rescued hostage Noa Argamani revealed new details on Tuesday about her time in Hamas captivity in Gaza and warned of the desperate medical conditions of the remaining hostages at a discussion at President Isaac Herzog’s Residence in Jerusalem.
After she spoke, Herzog said that “the hostages are in grave danger,” and that there is a renewed “significant effort” to reach a deal for their release.
At an emergency discussion on the medical condition of the hostages, Argamani revealed details about a severe injury she sustained in captivity.
“An airstrike hit the building where I, Yossi Sharabi, and Itay Svirsky were kept. As you know, Yossi didn’t survive. Two days later, Itay Svirski was killed,” she said.
Earlier this year, a military investigation into their deaths revealed that Sharabi was killed by an IDF airstrike in January, and that Svirsky was murdered by his captors days later. Both were kept with Argamani, and the three filmed a Hamas propaganda video that was released in January.
Argamani was rescued in an IDF operation in June along with four other hostages, and Svirsky’s body was returned to Israel earlier this week.
At Tuesday’s discussion, Argamani said that the airstrike left her “bleeding, with my head completely open. No one came to help me; not the Red Cross, no doctors, no one.”
“When the doctors saw all my injuries when I returned, they said it was a medical miracle,” she said.
The discussion included a screening of the Hamas propaganda video featuring Argamani in captivity. “This is the shorter and censored version of the video,” she said. “I wanted to spare you the full video.”
Speaking of the remaining hostages who have been held in Gaza for 431 days, she said, “I don’t know how many hostages have suffered in the same situations as I did.”
“We don’t know the condition of the 100 hostages who are still there, and their fate may be worse than mine,” she warned.
After Argamani spoke, President Herzog said, “Today is International Human Rights Day, and one right is not being upheld by the terrorist organization Hamas. Based on the report presented here and its details, based on various sources of information I have, and based on data I receive constantly, I state firmly — the hostages are in grave danger and everything must be done in every way possible to bring them home.”
Herzog addressed the negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage release deal, saying, “There is now a renewed, large, and significant effort. These processes need to mature as quickly as possible.”
“I speak every day with a different world leader, sometimes several times a day with multiple leaders,” he said. “This morning, I spoke with an important regional leader, and I can say that there is a global gathering to prioritize a hostage deal.”
“We want to see everyone at home as soon as possible,” he added.
Also on Tuesday, at the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee meeting, released hostage Ilana Gritzewsky told lawmakers about injuries she sustained in captivity.
“They broke my pelvis, burned my leg, dislocated my jaw, and I can’t hear from my left ear,” she said.
Gritzewsky, 30, was released as part of the November, 2023, ceasefire deal and is the partner of Matan Zangauker, who is still being held hostage by Hamas in Gaza.
She attended the conference following news that on Monday, the committee’s chairman, Simcha Rothman, refused to screen the recently released Hamas propaganda video of Zangauker from captivity during the meeting.
Zangauker, 24, was taken captive along with 250 others during the October 7, 2023, Hamas onslaught, and is one of the 96 hostages believed to still be held in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 34 confirmed dead by the IDF.
The Hamas attack killed over 1,200 people, mostly civilians.
Hamas released 105 civilians during a weeklong truce in late November, and four hostages were released before that. Eight hostages have been rescued by troops alive, and the bodies of 38 hostages have also been recovered, including three mistakenly killed by the military as they tried to escape their captors.
Hamas is also holding two Israeli civilians who entered the Strip in 2014 and 2015, as well as the bodies of two IDF soldiers who were killed in 2014.
