Four hostages were freed during a raid conducted by the Israeli army in the center of the Gaza Strip. Special forces simultaneously raided two Hamas sites in Nuseirat, freeing Noa Argamani, Almog Meir Jan, Andrey Kozlov and Shlomi Ziv. The hostages are all in good condition, while one of the agents who participated in the operations was seriously injured and later died in hospital.
During the operation, heavy air strikes were carried out in the area against Hamas sites and in support of ground troops, causing a large number of deaths among Palestinian civilians.
Christian family had interviewed the girlfriend and mother of Andrey Kozlov, one of the freed hostages. We offer you that service again.
On the morning of October 7, Jennifer woke up early, too early, because of the alarm sirens. They sound when missiles aimed at Israel are launched from Lebanon or Gaza. Usually the Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepts the rockets and it’s all over in a few minutes. But not that day. A day that stopped Jennifer’s life.
Jennifer is a beautiful 32-year-old blonde girl who works as a stewardess in the Israeli airline El Al. She is the girlfriend of Andrey Kozlov, one of the hostages taken by Hamas to Gaza. Sitting next to Jennifer is Evgeniia Kozlova, 52 years old, Andrey’s mother. She lives in St. Petersburg, Russia, but after October 7 she flew to Israel and since then she has always been next to Jennifer.
Evgeniia and Jennifer show a photo of Andrey. He is a 27 year old dark haired boy. His mother describes him as studious and with the desire to always learn new things. “When he left for military service,” she says, “he feared being bored, so he took his guitar and many books with him. He has also started studying Italian. He always liked travelling, meeting people and having experiences.” Born in St. Petersburg, Andrey came to Israel in August 2022 to study under the Masa program, an educational experience that promotes access to Israeli businesses, social organizations and academic institutions.
Andrey, who has a Jewish great-grandmother, decides that Israel is where he wants to build his life and becomes an Israeli citizen in early 2023. In the summer he meets Jennifer. “We live near Rishon Lizion, not far from Tel Aviv. We immediately loved each other. Andrey is very sweet, calm, with an always positive approach towards life. I always felt protected next to him.” Jennifer’s story returns to October 7th. “I didn’t know that Andrey was going to the Nova Music Festival to work as an unarmed security guard, I even got a little angry when he sent me a photo and a message in which he said: look where I am? I told him to have fun and enjoy the music, even though he replied that the music was bad and didn’t let him sleep.”
Jennifer takes a breath and glances at her smartphone screen, looking for updates. “On the morning of October 7, I asked him if he also heard the alarm sirens. He replied that on one side he heard rockets and on the other gunshots. I told him to run and find a place to hide. He told me not to worry. It was 10 minutes past 8 and that was the last message I received from him. At 10 I sent him another message, he didn’t reply and I started to get scared. I received images of corpses on my phone, I realized that there had been a massacre and I had Andrey’s parents notified.”
For days Jennifer watched all the horror videos and photos. “Among those poor bodies I was looking for Andrey’s. After three weeks the authorities told us that he was among the hostages.” Tears stop the story. Mom still speaks. “At least terrorists in prison in Israel eat three times a day in a cell. Andrey and the other hostages, however, are in the tunnels, they don’t see the light, they eat little and badly, Andrey has allergies, he needs medicine. The more time passes, the more worried we are. The agreement between the government and Hamas provides for the release of women and children, but what about the others? Soldier Gilad Shalit was held hostage for five years, how can we resist for so long?”
“We don’t know if Andrey is alive or dead,” adds Jennifer, “I know that the Israeli authorities are working for us, but they can do more and better. Why hasn’t the Red Cross been able to visit the hostages yet? We need a sign of life from Andrey. His mother is strong, but now you see me cry. I dream of Andrey at night, I talk to him, sometimes I feel like I’m going crazy. I would have liked to speak to Al Jazeera, so maybe they would hear or see me. I would like to tell his captors not to harm him.”
Jennifer confides a feeling of disappointment towards the authorities of her country. “I love Israel and I am proud to be Israeli, but I feel betrayed because the government has not been able to guarantee our safety. Hamas men were able to cross the border by killing, raping and burning. It was a disaster.”
Jennifer and Evgeniia also think about the Palestinian victims. “As long as Hamas is in power, the Palestinians in Gaza will also be hostages,” says Andrey’s mother.
“I have many Arab friends,” concludes Jennifer, “and it is sad for me to see the Palestinians suffer too. I want peace for everyone, I want it all to be over tomorrow. But the solution will come when violence is not seen as the only answer to our problems.
