Four hostages kidnapped by Hamas on October 7 were rescued through a special operation on Saturday by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the 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 live 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 Saturday who were kidnapped at the Nova music festival, according to the IDF. She could be seen in a video being forced onto a motorcycle by several men after her capture alongside her boyfriend, according to the Associated Press. In the video, she shouted “Don’t kill me!” with an outstretched arm.
A later video released by Hamas in January showed her talking about other hostages killed in airstrikes, according to the AP. She looked thin in the video, according to the channel.
Argamani mother,Liora Argamani, he has stage four brain cancer, according to the AP. Liora begged to see her daughter one more time in a video from last November, according to CNN.
“I don’t know how much time I have left. I wish I had the opportunity to see my Noa at home,” said Liora Argamani, according to CNN.
A video posted by the Hostage and Missing Families Forum on the social platform X Saturday was intended to show Argamani and his father reuniting “after months apart.”
Almog Meir Jan
Like Argamani, Meir Jan was kidnapped at the Nova festival. According to a publish in X by the IDF, he just “wanted to celebrate with his friends, but his reality changed drastically to 245 days of captivity.”
According to CNN, Meir Jan is from a city outside of Tel Aviv, one of Israel’s largest cities. 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. “Tomorrow is my birthday, so I got my present.”
Andrey Kozlov
According to a publish at X by the IDF, Kozlov “was working as a security guard at the Nova music festival.”
“While ensuring the safety of party attendees, his own safety was compromised when he was taken hostage by Hamas terrorists,” the IDF post reads. “Today is the day Andrey was released from captivity and can finally return to safety.”
Kozlov is a citizen of Russia, according to CNN, and came to Israel a year ago. After his release, he had a phone call with Israeli President Isaac Herzog in which he spoke about his improvement in Hebrew while in captivity, according to the Associated Press.
Shlomi Ziv
Another IDF post on X stated that Ziv was “working as a security director at [Nova] festival when he was brutally taken 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 of our hostages home.”
According to CNN, Ziv has lived in a local farming community for more than half a decade.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
