Israeli Couple's Contrasting Gaza Captivity Experiences: Noa Argamani Reveals Differences After Partner's Release

Former Israeli hostage Noa Argamani revealed on Tuesday the contrasting experiences she and her partner endured during their captivity in Gaza, following his release under the recently negotiated ceasefire agreement.

"Two years passed since the last moment I saw Avinatan, the love of my life," stated Argamani, who was rescued during an Israeli military operation in June 2024, in her social media post on X.

The 28-year-old Argamani described how she was separated from Avinatan Or immediately after their abduction from the Nova music festival during Hamas's attack on October 7, 2023, and remained apart until Or's release on Monday.

Or learned about Argamani's freedom only after his own release, having been unaware that she had been rescued over a year earlier.

"I was held captive with children, women, and the elderly, while Avinatan was held alone," Argamani shared about her partner, who was 32 when abducted.

"I was mostly kept inside houses, while Avinatan was only in the tunnels," she wrote in her account.

"I was held captive by Hamas for 246 days, while Avinatan was held for 738 days. I came back in a heroic rescue operation, and Avinatan returned in a deal," Argamani explained.

Her post acknowledged both the Israeli military's efforts in Gaza and US President Donald Trump's role in securing the ceasefire agreement.

"But both of us, against all odds, came home and were reunited!" she emphasized.

"At last, we can begin our healing together. The recovery will be long; we still haven't truly processed what has happened here over these past two years. But we won," Argamani expressed.

"And now, the time has come to begin our shared journey together."

Hamas continues to hold the remains of 24 hostages, which are expected to be returned under the terms of the ceasefire arrangement.

"We will never forget the fallen and the murdered, and we will not stop fighting until every fallen soldier and hostage is brought home for a proper burial in Israel," Argamani declared.

As Israelis await the return of the remaining bodies, the recently released hostages are gradually recovering.

Noa Eliakim Raz, director at Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva, where some surviving hostages are receiving treatment, explained that being underground, as the hostages had been, "affects all the body's systems".