Noa Argamani

Saturday June 8 is the birthday of Noa Argamani’s father, Yaakov Argamani. The only thing Yaakov wished for this year was his only daughter, Noa, back. His wife, Liora, is terminally ill with a brain tumor. Her last wish is to see her daughter Noa again.

Their beautiful daughter was violently abducted from the Supernova festival. The entire world saw the footage of her being dragged on to a motorcycle, crying and begging for her life, stretching out her arms to her boyfriend, Avinatan Or, who was also being kidnapped.

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Yaakov and Liora were afraid they would never see their only child again. But yesterday, on Yaakov’s birthday, their dearest wish was fulfilled: Noa was freed from Hamas captivity and brought back to Israel, where she reunited with her father and then immediately was brought to the hospital to embrace her dying mother.

I cannot describe the incredible joy and relief we all felt yesterday, seeing the images of Noa in the helicopter, being hugged and kissed by her father, speaking on the phone with the president, and setting off to the hospital to see her mother. The meeting with her mother was private, as it should be.

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I could not stop crying, Noa is the cousin of a friend of mine. If I wished for anything, it was for Noa to come back home. Noa is Yaakov and Liora’s only child. And Liora’s illness made it all so much more heartbreaking. So many tears we shed for them, and now we are finally crying happy tears! 🧡

And Noa was not to only one to be freed. The IDF carried out a very risky operation which destroyed a building in the town Nuseirat in central Gaza, and which killed many Gazans. This is desperately sad and I wish it hadn’t happened.

But Hamas knew this would happen, and they put the hostages there anyway. They knew we would stop at nothing to free the hostages, and they still chose to hide them among the people. Hamas knows we will do ANYTHING to bring them back home. They intentionally endanger their own people, just to make Israel look bad. All of this could have been avoided if they had just given us back the hostages. And why? Why did they invade our country, murder thousands and then abduct hundreds? All of this suffering and pain on both sides could have been avoided if they had not chosen to attack us. And civilians are complicit in this. Civilians stole Noa. I hope the men in that video, the ones who laughed as she begged for her life, now paid the price.

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Almog Meir Jan

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Almog Meir Jan is 21 years old and was kidnapped from the Supernova festival. He was seen in footage, handcuffed, cowering and terrified.

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Almog had just finished his army duty and was due to start his first job on October 8. The company has promised to keep the position open for him. According to his mother, Orit, he is very family-oriented and is close with his mother, his sister and uncle. He helps take care of his grandparents and has many friends. Almog called his mother from the party, telling her he loved her, before he was captured.

On Saturday, he was finally freed and reunited with his mother, family and friends. He asked them if they had seen the hostage video of him, but they hadn’t. Nobody had. Hamas had recorded a hostage video of him, of course saying what they told him to say, but had never released it, so no one knew and no one saw that precious sign of life. But now he is back, safe and well!

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In a strange and sad twist, Almog’s father is reported to have died in his home the same Saturday. There is no news yet of how he died and whether he knew his son had been freed. I hope so much that he knew. But if he didn’t, I am sure that he knows now. 🦋

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Andrey Kozlov

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Andrey Kozlov, 27, is a Russian-Israeli who worked as a security guard at the Supernova music festival. The Russian government called for his release along with other Russian hostages:

“The Russian side stressed the need for the immediate release of civilians, including three Russian nationals, Andrey Kozlov, Alexander Lobanov, and Alexander Trufanov, who were kidnapped in the October 7, 2023 attacks and have been held by Palestinian groups ever since.” (From: the Jerusalem Post.)

But that didn’t happen. From the Times of Israel: “Three Russian citizens — Ron Krivoy, Irina Tatty and Elena Trufanova — were previously released. Alexander Trufanov and Alexander Lobanov remain in captivity.”

Andrey had immigrated to Israel only a year and a half before October 7, 2023. He was still learning Hebrew. After his release, he said that he continued learning Hebrew and practiced with the other hostages while in captivity. His parents flew out from Russia as soon as they could and his girlfriend, Jennifer Master, was waiting for him. They had been tirelessly lobbying for his release, both in Israel and in Russia. You’re a hero to us, Andrey!

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Shlomi Ziv

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Shlomi Ziv is 41 years old and studied interior design. He was at the Supernova festival working as a security guard, as a favour to his friends, Aviv Eliyahu and Jake Marlowe. Eliyahu and Marlowe were both killed at the site. Shlomi was listed as missing.

Shlomi is married to Miran. They have been together for 17 years. Miran told Ynet: “We’ve been through so much – [fertility ] treatments, a difficult miscarriage, more treatments. (…) It was just the two of us, Shlomi and me, so we are also so connected. The treatments only strengthened us; it didn’t break us apart like it had happened to other couples. We are each other’s world.”

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When the attack started at the festival, Shlomi opened the gates so people could flee. He called his two younger sisters, Adi and Revital, and tried to tell them what was going on, while running himself. He told them he would call back. But he never did. Eight days later, he was officially listed as a hostage.

Shlomi’s wife, mother, sisters and cousin worked tirelessly for his release. His cousin, Liat Ariel, created something extraordinary called Shlomi’s glasses, a virtual reality tool that shows people an 8 minute movie simulating the experience of being kidnapped and held hostage in Gaza.

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Many people have tried on the glasses, including politicians and journalists. Liat Ariel told JNS news: “I decided to create “Shlomi’s glasses” to show the world what it’s like to be at a festival similar to Burning Man in America or others in Europe and find yourself under attack.”

Then, on June 8, Shlomi was rescued. Finally, after 8 months, he could embrace his wife, his parents, his sisters and his cousin again.

About his time in Gaza, Shlomi said that he knew nothing of what was going on on the outside. He was held with other hostages and they passed the time talking and playing games. He didn’t know his two friends, Aviv and Jake, were dead. His family says he lost a lot of weight but is in good condition.

Welcome home, Shlomi, we are so happy to have you back! 🧡

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Arnon Zmora

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These days, good news never seems to be possible without bad news, too. In the operation to free the hostages, Chief Inspector Arnon Zmora, 36, was killed by terrorist fire.

According to the Times of Israel: “On October 7, Zmora himself had led a battle against Hamas near the border community of Yad Mordechai, killing dozens of terrorists and preventing them from infiltrating the kibbutz. After that battle, Zmora was also involved in fighting terrorists at the Nahal Oz base and at Kibbutz Be’eri.”

This man seems to have been a fearless powerhouse who saved countless lives. He is survived by his parents and siblings, his wife and two children. His wife Michal wrote on Facebook:

“Now, everything is filled with the image of the late hero Arnon Zmora. But long before he was a warrior and a hero he was a sweet and charming man. A wonderful partner, a perfect father. A loving and beloved man. This is how we will remember him, and we hope you will too.”

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The operation was renamed “Operation Arnon” in his memory. At his funeral, thousands paid tribute. Fly free, Arnon, and thank you for everything you did for us. 🧡🦋

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