‘We must appreciate every day’, says freed hostage Noa Argamani as she dances at ‘celebration of life’ after Hamas hell
RESCUED Israeli hostage Noa Argamani has told a dance party “we must appreciate every day” after being freed from Hamas’ brutal captivity.
Noa, 26, became a high-profile hostage after she was abducted by the militants during last year’s October 7 massacre.
She was infamously filmed being driven away on a motorbike as she screamed “don’t kill me!” while boyfriend Avinatan Or, whose fate remains unknown, watched on helplessly.
She spent an agonising 246 days in Hamas’ lair before being rescued from a house in Gaza on June 8.
Now Noa has staged a “Return to Life” celebration and was seen on Sunday dancing on friends’ shoulders alongside dad Yaakov in heartwarming scenes.
She said: “246 days I’ve waited for this moment.”
A big banner was displayed on the dancefloor showing a photo of Avinatan with the hopeful words “we will dance again”.
Noa told the crowd: “We must appreciate every day of this life, and we should celebrate every moment we are here.
“We need to celebrate all the time.”
Addressing whether it was appropriate to party with more than 100 hostages still missing, she said: “246 days I’ve waited for this moment.
“It’s not ideal to have this party while there’s still a war going on, with our soldiers still on the battlefield, and 109 hostages still in Gaza, including my partner who we miss terribly.
“But at the same time, I’m happy to celebrate life itself with all of you.”
The Israeli has used her profile – and her time back in freedom – to fiercely advocate for the release of more hostages.
She spoke to diplomats at a G7 meeting in Tokyo last Wednesday, saying it was a “miracle” that she survived.
She added: “Avinatan, my boyfriend, is still there, and we need to bring them back before it’s going to be too late.
“We don’t want to lose more people than we already lost.”
Noa was saved from Hamas in time to once again see her mother, Liora, who sadly died of brain cancer shortly after.
Noa was kidnapped from the Supernova music festival near Kitbbutz as part of Hamas’ wider October 7 terror, in which 1,200 were killed.
Noa’s celebration came as Hamas representatives rejected Israeli conditions in talks for a ceasefire in Cairo, Egypt.
Egyptian security officers said both parties left mediation without making any progress, Reuters reported.
The talks were mediated by hosts Egypt along with the US and Qatar.
In a social media post, United Nations peace envoy Tor Wennesland said: “There is no time to lose.”
Elsewhere, Hezbollah launched a barrage of missiles towards Israel in a bid to avenge the killing of one of its founders and top commanders, Faud Shakr, in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut last month.
Hezbollah, Iran’s biggest proxy terror group, aimed to fire thousands of rockets towards the north and central Tel Aviv, Israel claims, but was only able to launch a few hundred missiles after IDF strikes thwarted its plans.
IDF spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said Hezbollah was trying to “harm Israeli civilians” and had only succeeded in launching “only about 230 rockets” and about 20 drones.
He added: “Most of them either fell on their way to Israeli territory, landed in open areas, or were intercepted by Israeli Air Force defence systems and Israeli Navy ships.”
Israel has engaged in tit-for-tat strikes with Hamas-allied Hezbollah for 10 months since war broke out in the Gaza Strip.