“I know what it feels like to be left behind, abandoned by the world,” former hostage Noa Argamani told the UN Security Council on Tuesday morning at the invite of Israel’s UN permanent representative Danny Danon.
Time in Hamas captivity
Argamani was taken hostage by Hamas terrorists on October 7 from the Supernova Music Festival alongside her partner Avinatan Or. She was rescued from captivity in Gaza by the IDF after eight months; however, her partner remains there. “As I speak, there are still 63 hostages living this nightmare, including my partner Avinatan Or,” she said, adding that 24 of the remaining captives are believed to be alive.
“Our lives cannot go on without them, and that is why I want to make sure that the world knows that the deal must go on in full, completely, in all of its stages.”
“We’re talking about innocent people taken from their beds, from a dance party, from their simple lives – taken into pure hell,” she added.
Argamani also spoke of Kfir, Ariel, and Shiri Bibas, a mother and her two babies who were murdered by terrorists while in captivity and whose bodies were returned to Israel last week. “The crimes are unthinkable; we cannot imagine it, but it happened, and that’s why we cannot leave anyone there,” Argamani continued.
“I know what it feels like to be left behind, watching other hostages being released to their families. Every moment there feels like the last moment of their lives. Every second counts.” Argamani recounted how she was held with two girls – Hila Rotem, 12, and Emily Hand, 8 – both of whom were released in the first hostage deal in November 2023.
“I can’t even begin to describe the feeling of being left behind. But I can tell this is exactly how the hostages feel today. Abandoned by the world.” At 54 days in captivity, Argamani said she was left with Itay Svirsky and Yossi Sharabi, both from Kibbutz Be’eri.
The three hostages became very close. However, one night, she said the house they were in was blown up, and she and Yossi were stuck under the rubble.
“I couldn’t move; I couldn’t breathe – I thought to myself that these are the last seconds of my life. I screamed so loud so someone would hear me, and I heard Yossi screaming too. After a few seconds, I stopped hearing Yossi screaming. I was pulled out of the rubble and tried to help Yossi. But when we got to him, it was already too late.”
“This is why it is absolutely critical that we put an end to this horrible tragedy. Without immediate action, many more innocent people will be killed, including my partner Avinatan. I came here today to the UN to speak before the Security Council because I believe that you all, the international community, must understand that our hostages are in hell.”