During a briefing to the UN Security Council held on Tuesday, Noa Argamani, who was rescued from Gaza in a military operation last June, addressed the council. In her remarks, she described the moments of her kidnapping and her time in captivity. "During my time in captivity, I was held with two small girls. I saw the fear in their eyes. I had to be strong for them."
Argamani began her remarks by recounting her abduction. "I was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists on October 7 from the Nova Festival along with my boyfriend, Avinatan Or. We were taken by force, separated, and entered hell on earth. I held Avinatan's hand as long as I could, but in one moment of terror – we were torn apart from each other and dragged into the unknown."
Video: Noa Argamani speaks the UN
Argamani emphasized the critical time remaining for the hostages still in captivity. "We have no more time! I am here today because it's a miracle, but there are still 63 hostages living this nightmare. They are in complete darkness, not knowing if they will live or die in the next moment. Every moment that passes is an eternity of suffering. We are talking about innocent people who were kidnapped from their beds, from a dance party, from their simple lives – and taken to a world of torture and humiliation. Hamas treated us like pieces in a cruel game, driven by sheer cruelty."
"You don't need me to tell you about a 9-month-old baby, Kfir, and his 4-year-old brother, Ariel Bibas, and their mother Shiri. A mother and her infants – brutally murdered in captivity. They didn't die in battle. They weren't fighters. They were tender children, whose blood was spilled with unimaginable brutality. This is Hamas – an organization that crushes babies with its hands and celebrates death."
During her remarks, she also described her period in captivity. In Gaza, she was held with several different hostages. "During my time in Gaza, I was held with two young girls – Hila Rotem and Emily Hand. At that time, Emily was 8 years old, and Hila was 12. I saw the fear in their eyes, the trembling in their bodies. I had to be strong for them, to hide the horrors so they could survive another day." Hand and Hila were returned as part of the hostage deal in November 2023, Argamani was with Yossi Sharabi and Itai Svirsky, whose bodies are still being held in Gaza.
"One evening, the house where we were being held was bombed, and we found ourselves buried under the rubble. Itai managed to get up, but Yossi and I were trapped beneath piles of concrete. I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe. I was drawn into darkness and thought this was it, these were the last seconds of my life. I screamed with all my might for someone to hear me, and I also heard Yossi's screams. Screams of pain, of pleading, of a person trapped between life and death. And then, after a few seconds, I heard only silence. Yossi died next to me, alone, helpless."
Two days after Yossi's death, the terrorists killed Itai. "He was brutally murdered by our captors," she recounts. "He was with me from the first day of captivity. We talked about our families, about the lives we left behind. He was a pure soul. And now he is gone."
Argamani again emphasized the necessity for the international community to understand the suffering of the hostages. "The international community must understand: Our hostages are living in hell on earth. They have no time! They have no hope without action. They must return home now! What kept me alive in captivity and until now, is something my mother always told me: Always be good, always hold onto the light. So here, in this forum, I will end with these words: Be good. But more than that, be just. Act now. Bring them – all of them – home now."
