The four Israelis held captive by Hamas terrorists in Gaza for 246 days have provided chilling accounts of their ordeal after being freed in a daring IDF operation Saturday. Noa Argamani, Almog Meir Jan, Shlomo Ziv, and Andrey Kozlov were all abducted by terrorists from the Nova music festival and endured harrowing conditions during their nearly 8-month-long captivity, according to testimonies by the former hostages and their families.
Argamani, 27, recounted to her relatives the traumatic experiences she faced during captivity, stating that on four separate occasions, she came face-to-face with the prospect of imminent death. She vividly described one particular incident when a missile struck the building she was being held in, causing an explosion that led her to be convinced her life was about to end.
"I saw the missile entering the house; I was sure I was about to die. I thought that was it – but I survived," she recounted. The young woman said her Hamas captors frequently moved her between safe houses, at times disguising her in traditional Arab dress and allowing her outside briefly to get fresh air. Tragically, Argamani was held alongside Israelis Yossi Sharabi and Itay Svirsky, who were murdered in captivity.
Argamani told family that she heard a knock at 10 a.m. on Saturday, and heard, "It's the IDF and we've come to rescue you." Meir Jan, 22, celebrated his birthday in captivity and was filmed by the terrorists for a propaganda video they claimed would be sent to Israel, according to a family member. Meir Jan does not remember the details of his rescue as he was asleep when Israeli forces stormed the safe house, the family member said.
In an interview, Meir Jan said he was "completely fine" and grateful to be "in the embrace of my supportive family" after his lengthy captivity. His relatives said he documented his time in captivity in a diary, noting dates to keep track of the days he was held. In addition, he said that he saw videos of the protests in Israel calling for the release of the hostages with his picture.
Meir Jan was held captive with Kozlov and Ziv and said they were shuttled between hide-outs in Gaza throughout their captivity. Tragically, Meir Jan's father was found dead Saturday in his Kfar Saba home by IDF personnel who came to inform him of his son's rescue.
