The four had all been kidnapped on October 7 during the Nova music festival
Of Irene Panzeri,
8 June 2024
Four Israeli hostages have been freed during an operation by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Shin Bet in the center of the Gaza Strip. All four had been kidnapped during the Nova music festival. It’s about Noa Argamani, Almog Meir Jan, Andrey Kozlov and Shlomi Ziv.
The best known face is that of Noa Argamani, 26 years old, from Be’er Sheva. His name has become a symbol of the Hamas attack on 7 October, after a video of his kidnapping went around the world. In the images of her, she was seen being forcibly loaded onto a motorcycle by Hamas militiamen while she screamed, cried and struggled towards her boyfriend Avinatan Or, shouting “don’t kill me”, before being taken away. The boy was held down by some militiamen and is still a prisoner of the Palestinian group.
Noa’s mother, Loira Argamani, suffering from a incurable brain cancer, he had repeatedly begged to be able to see her before he died. She then reappeared on January 14 in a video published by Hamas in which she appeared together with hostages Yossi Sharabi and Itai Svirsky. In a first clip the three asked the Israeli government to bring them home, while a second clip had only Noa as the protagonist. The young woman said that the two hostages who were with her had been killed in attacks by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip. Her voice was recorded again in a video, dated May 31, which the family however asked not to be disclosed. Noa is passionate about yoga and art and she loves hiking. She was studying Information Systems Management at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
Almog Meir Jan is a 22 year old from Or Yehuda. He had finished his military service 3 months before October 7th and the day after the kidnapping he was supposed to start a job in a large high-tech company. His family describes him as “a beloved son, who connects with everyone thanks to his wide and warm smile. He is always polite and available to everyone, loved wherever he goes.” Andrey Kozlov, 27, a resident of Rishon LeZion, worked at the Nova festival as a security guard. He is a recent immigrant to Israel, arriving in the country without his family about a year and a half ago. Also Shlomi Ziv, 41, from moshav Elkosh, was part of the security at the desert rave. He had gone to the party with two other people, Aviv Eliyahu, a relative of his wife Miren, and Jake Marlowe, a friend of his. Both were killed. Shlomi and his wife have lived in Elkosh for about 17 years. His family describes him as a “family-oriented man, always the first to help and acting with a big heart, embodying the perfect description of a big brother.”
