What Hostage Freed From Hamas Captivity Told Benjamin Netanyahu

Noa Argamani, an Israeli woman freed from Hamas recently, met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington on Monday. During the meeting, Ms Argamani revealed that her most difficult moment in captivity was hearing the Israeli PM's declaration that the war would be long, The Times of Israel reported.

"The hardest moment I had in captivity was when I listened to the radio and heard you say the war will be long. I thought, 'I won't get out of here'," she told Netanyahu, adding it was a "breaking point" for her. She then broke down and embraced another hostage relative. Netanyahu's expression remained impassive during the emotional exchange.

The meeting, attended by relatives of hostages, was held in Washington, DC. 

Ms Argamani, recently rescued from Gaza, joined by her father Yaakov and other relatives of captives, is travelling with Netanyahu to the United States. They met at Netanyahu's hotel after arriving from Israel. 

During the meeting, Ms Argamani urged the PM that the remaining 120 hostages in Gaza be brought home quickly "before it's too late".

"I saw death with my eyes," she said, recounting that fellow hostages Yossi Sharabi and Itay Svirsky were killed next to her. 

Both Ms Argamani and her father faced severe backlash for accompanying Netanyahu, with both coalition and opposition lawmakers condemning their decision. Other hostage families urged them not to go, claiming it would support Netanyahu, whom many blame for more than nine months of war.

Many hostage relatives have been protesting for months against the Netanyahu government for not making a deal with Hamas since 105 hostages were freed in November. Some families are also calling for more military pressure on Hamas to improve negotiations. 

Earlier it was reported that the Israel Defence Forces used the controversial 'Hannibal Directive' during the Hamas attack on October 7. This policy allows soldiers to use maximum force to prevent kidnappings and captivity, even if it puts the lives of hostages at risk.

The October 7 Hamas attack on Israel resulted in 1,139 deaths and 250 being taken captive. Since then, Israel's onslaught on Gaza has led to 39,090 deaths and injuries to 90,147 people so far, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.