FORMER Israeli hostage Noa Argamani, whose abduction on the back of a motorcycle during the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack became one of the defining images of that day, was reunited Monday with her boyfriend Avinatan Or, recently freed after nearly two years in captivity in Gaza.
A government-released video captured the emotional reunion. The footage shows Or, 32, first embracing and kissing his parents as his mother, Ditza, recited the traditional Jewish shehecheyanu blessing, a prayer of gratitude for new experiences.
Moments later, he was led to another room where Argamani, 28, waited. The two exchanged a tearful embrace and kiss after being separated for almost two years.
Argamani had been rescued in June 2024 by Israeli special forces along with three other hostages held in Gaza.
Her desperate pleas in the viral video, where she was seen being taken away on a motorcycle, crying out for help while reaching toward Or, who was forced to walk beside her, had drawn global attention and became symbolic of the suffering of those taken from Israel’s Nova music festival, one of the key sites targeted in the Hamas assault.
The couple was among dozens kidnapped from the festival, where over 360 people were killed and at least 40 others taken hostage.
Since her rescue, Argamani has publicly advocated for the release of those still held in Gaza.
On Monday, Hamas released Or and 19 other Israeli hostages as part of the first phase of a ceasefire agreement brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump, who arrived in Israel shortly before the handover.
In exchange, Israel freed around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees, marking one of the largest prisoner swaps since the conflict began.