A distressing video of a 25-year-old Israeli woman being kidnapped by Hamas operatives became a defining visual of the October 7 attack where 240 Israelis were taken hostage. The shocking footage shows Noa Argamani pleading for her life while sitting on the back of an operative's motorcycle. 61 days since the attack, Ms Argamani is still being held captive in the Gaza Strip.
Israel made an emotion post today about Ms Argamani, on a day when most Jews begin celebrating the eight-day winter festival of lights Hanukkah. The officials asked Jews to light the first candle for Noa Argamani.
"Tonight as Jews all over the world celebrate Hanukkah, we ask that you light the first candle for Noa Argamani who is currently being held hostage in Gaza by Hamas terrorists," Israel posted on X (formerly Twitter).
"May Noa and all of the hostages be reunited with their families this Hanukkah," it added.
Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel on October 7, when hundreds of their operatives crossed the border using motorcycles, paragliders and boats. Israel government claims 1,200 people were killed in the attack and 240 taken hostage.
Noa, a Chinese-born Israeli citizen, was kidnapped from a music festival near the Gaza border. Video footage of the incident, which went viral, shows the 25-year-old being taken away on the back of a motorbike screaming, "Don't kill me!". Her boyfriend Avinatan Or, 30, also appears in the video being marched away from her by Hamas.
Noa's mother, Liora, is currently battling stage 4 brain cancer and has expressed a desire to see her daughter before the illness kills her.
"My one wish would be to hug and see Noa before something happens to me due to my medical condition. I know she is a strong girl. We're waiting for her. Only the thought of her coming home keeps me strong," she told the Daily Mail.
Two months into the war with Hamas, the faces of Israelis taken hostage to Gaza still appear on individual posters plastered across Jerusalem bus stops and flashed across buildings. The sombre mood was all-consuming on Thursday at the start of Hanukkah, the first Jewish festival since the Hamas attack.
