MEE Staff
Middle East Eye / August 23, 2024
Argamani denies reports that Palestinian fighters shaved her head and beat her during captivity, saying her injuries resulted from an Israeli strike.
Noa Argamani, an Israeli woman freed from Hamas captivity in Gaza in June, said on Friday that her injuries were caused by an Israeli air strike during her rescue operation, not by a Hamas attack.
Speaking to diplomats from G7 countries in Tokyo on Wednesday, Argamani detailed her ordeal after she was taken captive by Palestinian armed groups during the 7 October attack.
However, two days later, she issued a statement on Instagram, saying that some of her remarks had been misquoted and taken out of context.
Contrary to some Israeli media reports, Argamani clarified that she was not beaten or had her hair shaved by Palestinian fighters.
“I cannot ignore what happened here over the past 24 hours, taking my words out of context,” she wrote, referring to the Israeli media coverage of her Tokyo speech.
“[Hamas members] did not hit me while I was in captivity, nor did they cut my hair; I was injured by the collapse of a wall caused by an [Israeli] Air Force pilot,” she added.
“As a victim of 7 October, I refuse to be victimized once again by the media.”
Argamani, 26, was among four Israeli captives rescued during an Israeli attack on Nuseirat and Deir al-Balah refugee camps in Gaza in June, which resulted in the deaths of at least 236 Palestinians, mostly women and children.
In her testimony on Thursday, Argamani said her survival was a “miracle”.
“It’s a miracle because I survived 7 October, and I survived this bombing and I also survived the rescue.”
Argamani stressed that securing the release of the remaining Israeli captives should be a top priority for her government.
Her boyfriend, Avinatan Or, remains in Hamas captivity and is among 105 individuals believed to be held in Gaza, including 34 whom the Israeli military has reported as dead.
“Avinatan, my boyfriend, is still there, and we need to bring them back before it’s going to be too late. We don’t want to lose more people than we already lost,” Argamani said.
Speaking to Middle East Eye after her abduction, Argamani’s father prayed for peace and an end to the suffering of both the captives and the Palestinians in Gaza.
“We have to stop this killing between us and them so that there can be real peace between these two countries once and for all,” he said shortly after the 7 October attack.
