Rescued hostage Noa Argamani told loved ones ‘we should celebrate every moment’ in a ‘Return to Life’ celebration yesterday.
The 26-year-old who was saved from captivity in a ‘miracle’ mission spoke emotionally of the need to ‘appreciate every day’.
She was seen dancing on friends’ shoulders alongside her father Yaakov after they both suffered indescribable torment.
Noa was kidnapped on October 7 on a motorbike from the Nova music festival as her boyfriend Avinatan Or had to watch on. He has not been seen since.
Noa was rescued in June just in time to say her final goodbye to her mother, Liora, 61, before she died from brain cancer.
Footage shows Noa dancing at the party in Israel on Friday, with the 26-year-old telling her friends and family: ‘I’m happy to celebrate life itself with all of you’
Noa became the face of the attack on October 7 after a powerful Mail on Sunday front page captured those final seconds as she reached out to Avinatan while screaming at her captors: ‘Don’t kill me!’
But Noa, who spent 246 days in captivity before being rescued by the Israeli Defence Forces on June 8, also acknowledged that while she was having a party, hostages were still being held by Hamas – including her partner, Avinatan Or (pictured with Noa before the October 7 attack)
Rescued hostage Noa Argamani told loved ones ‘we should celebrate every moment’ in a ‘Return to Life’ celebration yesterday. She is pictured, left, dancing with her father
She has now become one of the fiercest advocates for the remaining hostages and this week spoke at the G7 meeting in Tokyo.
She revealed how she feared every night in Hamas captivity was ‘going to be my last night alive’.
‘It’s a miracle that I’m here,’ she said. ‘Avinatan, my boyfriend, is still there, and we need to bring them back before it’s going to be too late,’ she told the delegation.
Yesterday Noa addressed whether it was suitable to party while over a hundred hostages were still being held by the terror group in Gaza.
‘246 days I’ve waited for this moment,’ she said.
‘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 dearly.’
A huge banner with Avinatan Or’s photo with ‘We will dance again’ was displayed on the dancefloor.
‘We must appreciate every day of this life, and we should celebrate every moment we are here. We need 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 pleaded with Hamas to free her and the Israeli and US governments to bring her home
Her father Yaakov, who also attended the party on Friday, said that he and his family, including Liora, had ‘really waited’ for Noa until ‘God granted our wish’ (pictured: Yaakov and Noa embracing after she was rescued)
Her mother Liora died a month ago from brain cancer, but was able to spend time with her daughter before she passed away thanks to the dramatic rescue of four hostages by elite forces Yamam.
According to one of the commandos her first question was whether her mother was still alive. ‘I told her yes,’ he said.
‘She looked right and left at us and asked again if we were sure. We told her yes, ‘that’s why we came, to bring you back to your mother’.’
In an interview with Mailonline the parents of Hero Arnon Zmora who died rescuing told Noa ‘to live every day like it’s the last’.
Meanwhile Israeli media reports that the Hamas delegation has arrived in Cairo to meet with Egyptian officials on the latest hostage-ceasefire proposal. 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 embraces her father, Yakov Argamani, in this handout image obtained by Reuters on June 8, 2024
Noa listens as Israel’s ambassador to Japan Gilad Cohen (R) speaks during a meeting with G7 embassy representatives during a visit to Tokyo on August 21