Earlier, the army announced the release, during a “complex” military operation in Nusseirat, in the central Gaza Strip, of Noa Argamani, 26, Almog Meir Jan, 22, Andrey Kozlov , 27, and Shlomi Ziv, 41. All four were kidnapped from the site of the Nova electro music festival by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas on October 7.
At Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv, patients gathered in the lobby hoping to see Noa Argamani, where the mother, suffering from brain cancer, is hospitalized. Saturday evening, the young woman arrived at this hospital, according to the Hostage Families Forum.
Under the applause
“For eight months, we have only received stabs in the heart. I’m not talking about myself, I’m talking about the whole nation,” says Shlomo Akad, 72 years old. The image of this Israeli woman screaming “Don’t kill me!” » to Hamas fighters had traveled around the world. “And suddenly, for the first time, it was an explosion of joy after she was saved,” continues, behind large rectangular glasses, the septuagenarian, who claims to have cried when he heard the news of the young woman’s release. female.
On Saturday evening, thousands of Israelis took to the streets of Tel Aviv, like every week, to demand an agreement from the government to bring the hostages back to Israel. On the big screen, images of the freed hostages were broadcast, to the applause of the crowd, waving numerous Israeli flags.
“It gave me a little hope because when we saw them, we saw their health, we had a little hope that they would be fed there,” said Yair Moses, whose father Gadi Moses is hostage in Gaza.
“What a gift I received”
At the Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer near Tel Aviv, the Israeli Prime Minister met the newly released hostages, according to images shared by his office. Benyamin Netanyahu is filmed applauding when a small group of people wish a “happy birthday” to the father of Noa Argamani, his daughter at his side for the first time in eight months.
“Noa is doing well,” rejoiced Yaakov Argamani. ” Today is my birthday. What a gift I have received,” he added in a video published by the Hostage Families Forum.
In another video, shared by the same organization, Shlomi Ziv hugs her sister and her cousin when two relatives of Almog Meir Jan, extremely moved, take the 22-year-old young man in their arms, in a photo released by the army Israeli.
“I cried so much in front of so much joy, I couldn’t hold back my tears,” confides Hilla Israeli, 38, who was at the edge of a lake when she heard the news. “In an instant, everyone started taking out their phones, people came out of the water, screams of joy came from different directions,” continues this teacher. “It’s a very moving day,” said Uriya Bekenstein, 42, for his part. “It is invigorating, to say the least, to see the release of four hostages and their return home to their families,” says Cécile Belilius.
210 people killed
At the same time, the sixty-year-old said she had “mixed feelings” when talking about the Palestinian civilian victims.
The Hamas government press service said Saturday that at least 210 people were killed and more than 400 injured in Israeli attacks in Nusseirat, without mentioning the release of hostages. AFP was not able to confirm this assessment independently.
