The mother of Noa Argamani, the Israeli hostage who became a symbol of Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack, has died of brain cancer just over three weeks after her daughter was rescued from the Gaza Strip.
The Ichilov Medical Center in Tel Aviv confirmed in a statement Tuesday that Liora Argamani had died “after a long battle with cancer," NBC News reported.
The hospital said she “spent her final days alongside her daughter Noa, who returned from captivity, and her close family.”
“We convey the family’s request to respect their privacy during these difficult times,” the statement said.
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Noa Argamani, 26, from Be’er Sheva, was at the Nova music festival in southern Israel when she was seized by Palestinian fighters, who took her away on a motorcycle in an abduction captured on video. On June 8, she was one of four hostages rescued by the Israeli Defense Forces in a daytime raid on two houses in the Nuseirat refugee camp in which scores of Palestinians were killed.
Liora Argamani had appealed for her daughter’s release, pleading that she did not have long left to live and wanted to see her again.
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“I wish for the chance to see my Noa, at home. I call upon President Biden and the Red Cross to bring back my Noa as soon as possible so that I get the chance to see her,” she said in a video released in November.
“Noa,” she added, “if I don’t get to see you, please know that I love you so much. Please know we did everything we could to get you released. The whole world loves you.”
Images of Argamani were seen across the world after the 10-second video was circulated showing her screaming as she was carried away on the back of the motorcycle.
Her boyfriend, Avinatan Or, was also abducted and is believed to still be in Gaza.
In a video released Saturday, Argamani said she wanted to remind the world that around 120 mostly Israeli hostages were still being held in Gaza.
“Although I’m home now, we can’t forget about the hostages who are still in Hamas captivity, and we must do everything possible to bring them back home,” she said.
NBC News uncovered information in December suggesting that Argamani was most likely abducted not by Hamas but by Gazans who swept into Israel hours after the initial attack.
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