Two days after being rescued from Gaza, Noa Argamani was released from Tel Aviv’s Ichilov Medical Center on teusday. She had undergone a series of medical and psychosocial evaluations. Her mother, Liora, remains hospitalized, so Argamani and her relatives will spend the Shavuot holiday nearby.
Almog Meir Jan was also released from the hospital, and went home on Monday night. With his release, all the hostages rescued in the operation and hospitalized at Sheba Medical Center have returned home.
Jan, a 21-year-old from Or Yehuda, was kidnapped from the nature party in Re’im. He was a recently discharged soldier who was supposed to start working at a major telecommunications company the day after the party. That morning, he managed to call his mother, Orit, and told her that the party was shut down due to rockets and gunfire around him. He told her he loved her, and then the connection was lost.
Along with Argamani, Shlomi Ziv, and Andrey Kozlov, Jan was rescued from the house where they were held in the Nuseirat refugee camp in a daring operation by the Yamam, the IDF, and the Shin Bet. Weeks of intelligence gathering, preparations, and planning preceded the operation, which unusually took place in broad daylight. Yamam fighter Chief Superintendent Arnon Zmora lost his life in the operation.
Upon Jan’s return home, his mother Orit gave a statement to the media about his mental state. “Almog was in captivity for eight months. That’s a long time,” she said. “He experienced various things, but what I can say is that his connection with the other hostages greatly helped strengthen their spirit, hope, and faith. The bond they formed strengthened them. They did not lose hope until they were rescued. They always felt that this day would come when they would return home. Almog is strong; he has a long way to go, it’s not simple.”
A long way to go
“He feels good, healthy, and I am sure he has a way to go but is starting from a good place,” she added, bursting into tears. “I never lost hope for a moment. This only indicates the urgency; it’s time to bring the hostages home, whether for burial or rehabilitation. Almog learned Arabic and Russian because Andrey spoke Russian. They had a lot of time to talk among themselves. He was somewhat aware of what was happening.”
Meanwhile, Argamani met with Ditza Or, the mother of her boyfriend Avinatan Or, who was kidnapped along with her and separated from her.
וסוף סוף המפגש המרגש הזה קורה. דיצה אור אימו של אבינתן ונועה ארגמני נפגשות בבית החולים pic.twitter.com/1SxWUILJqK
— Merav Sever (@meravseve) June 11, 2024
In the kidnapping video of the two, Argamani is seen screaming while a terrorist kidnaps her on a motorcycle, and other terrorists are holding Avinatan, who talks to Argamani and tries to calm her down.
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