Four hostages kidnapped were rescued by Hamas on October 7 through a special Saturday operation by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Israel Police and the Israel Securities Authority, according to a joint statement from the groups.
According to the Associated Press, the operation was the largest recovery of surviving hostages since the start of the current war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Here’s what you need to know about the newly rescued hostages:
Noa Argamani
Argamani was one of four hostages rescued and abducted from the Nova music festival on Saturday, according to the IDF. She could be seen inside a video according to The Associated Press, she was forced onto a motorcycle by several men after being captured with her boyfriend. In the video she screamed, “Don’t kill me!” with one arm outstretched.
A later video released by Hamas in January showed her talking about fellow hostages killed in airstrikes, the AP said. According to the outlet, she looked thin in the video.
Argamanis mother,Liora Argamani, has stage four brain cancer, according to the AP. According to CNN, Liora begged to see her daughter again in a video from last November.
“I don’t know how long I have left. I wish for the chance to see my Noa at home,” Liora Argamani said, according to CNN.
A video Posted by The Hostages and Missing Families Forum on the social platform
Almog Meir Jan
Like Argamani, Meir Jan was kidnapped from the Nova festival. According to a after on the IDF’s X, he just wanted to celebrate with his friends, but his reality changed drastically in 245 days of captivity.
According to CNN, Meir Jan is from a city outside Tel Aviv, one of the largest cities in Israel. On October 8, he reportedly started a new job at a technology company.
“I couldn’t stop hugging him,” Orit Meir, Meir Jan’s mother, said at a press conference on Saturday, according to CNN. “It’s my birthday tomorrow, so I got my present.”
Andrei Kozlov
According to a after on the IDF’s X, Kozlov “worked in security at the Nova music festival.”
“While ensuring the safety of the partygoers, his own safety was jeopardized when he was taken hostage by Hamas terrorists,” the IDF message read. “Today is the day that Andrey was released from captivity and can finally return to safety.”
Kozlov is a citizen of Russia and came to Israel a year ago, according to CNN. After his release, he had a phone conversation with Israeli President Isaac Herzog in which he discussed his improvement in Hebrew while imprisoned, according to The Associated Press.
Shlomi Ziv
Another message from the IDF about X declared that Ziv “was working as security director at the (Nova) festival when he was brutally held hostage for 245 days.”
“We brought him home today, back to his wife and family,” the post continued. “We will continue to operate to bring all our hostages home.”
According to CNN, Ziv had lived in a local farming community for more than half a decade.
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