On 8th June, Israeli forces rescued four Israeli nationals held captive in Gaza since the 7th October terrorist attack by Hamas on Israel’s territory. Following the 7 October terror attack last year, Hamas terrorists had taken hundreds of hostages with them, and the 4 rescued yesterday were among them. One of the hostages rescued has been identified as Noa Argamani who was rescued from Nuseirat in central Gaza.
Noa Argamani (26), Almog Meir Jan (21), Andrey Kozlov (27) and Shlomi Ziv (40) were abducted from the Supernova music festival near the Israel-Gaza border during the Hamas terror attack, and were reportedly held hostage in the houses of civilians in Nuseirat, and area not touched by Israeli ground forces so far. Noa was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists along with her boyfriend during the terrorist attack on Nova Music Festival on 7th October. Now, in a shocking revelation, it has been claimed that the sole woman among the four, Noa Argamani, was kept in an Al Jazeera journalist’s house.
It has been reported that Al Jazeera’s journalist Abdullah Al-Jamal was holding an Israeli national captive at a civilian residence. Al Jamal previously worked for the propaganda media house Al Jazeera and was currently working with the US outlet The Palestine Chronicle as a staff writer. He was killed during the rescue operation along with his family members.
As the reports of his involvement in holding Noa captive emerged, Al Jazeera issued a statement distancing itself from Al-Jamal. In a statement, senior correspondent of Al Jazeera, Imran Khan, said on Instagram that Al-Jamal was never a full-time employee of Al Jazeera and he worked as a freelance journalist.
Notably, Abdullah Al-Jamal also worked as a spokesperson for the Palestinian Ministry of Labor which functions under Hamas. Jamal’s father Dr. Ahmed, and some other members of the family were also killed in the Israeli operation to rescue the hostages.
While Noa was rescued from Al-Jamal’s house, three other hostages were rescued from a different location. Two multi-story buildings were raided by the IDF in the operation on Saturday to rescue the hostages who were under Hamas captivity for 8 months. Officers of police’s elite Yamam counter-terrorism unit, along with Shin Bet agents, simultaneously raided the two Hamas-controlled multi-story buildings in the heart of central Gaza’s Nuseirat, an official statement by Israel said.
Though there was criticism of the Israeli forces over claims that over 200 people were killed during the rescue operation on the Palestinian side, it has to be noted that those who criticised Israeli forces failed to address the fact that “civilians” were holding Israeli nationals captive. The rescue operation was joinly conducted by IDF, Israel Security Agency and Israel Police. Notably, the operation was based on “precise” intelligence received by the security agencies.
IDF lost one of its soldiers, Commander Arnon Zamora, in the rescue operation. Zmora commanded the rescue team at the building where three hostages were being held.
The fact that Noa Argamani was held hostage by a journalist was first revealed by a pro-Palestine activist. In a post on X, Ramy Abdul, the chairman of the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, a pro-Palestinian organisation, claimed that his organisation found evidence of Israeli special forces using a ladder to enter the house of Dr Ahmed Al-Jamal, father of journalist Abdullah Al-Jamal. He gave detailed descriptions of how the Israeli forces raided the house.
Abdallah Al-Jamal is a freelance journalist used to work for several media outlets. In recent years, he has served as the spokesperson for the Palestinian Ministry of Labor.
— Ramy Abdu| رامي عبده (@RamAbdu) June 9, 2024
Ramy Abdul, however, failed to address why these “civilians” were holding Noa captive. It has been alleged that Hamas was paying “civilians” to keep Israelis captive at their houses. Though he did not take the name of Noa directly, the evidence is enough to connect the dots that it was Noa who was held captive at the Al Jazeera journalist’s house.
When netizens asked Ramy Abdul why the family of doctor and journalist were holding a young Israeli woman hostage, he gave the bizarre reply that replied that “this should be addressed by the Israeli officials”.
Reacting to the rescue operation, Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said in a statement, “They are in good medical condition and have been transferred to the ‘Sheba’ Tel-HaShomer Medical Center for further medical examinations.”
Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said that the Israeli forces had to enter the civilian areas to rescue the hostages as Hamas terrorists had embedded themselves in the civilian areas. He said the hostages were rescued from two separate civilian multi-story buildings that were 200 metres away from each other. Notably, the hostages were moved frequently in Gaza. Hagari pointed out that Argamani was held hostage elsewhere previously. Similar raids were called off over four times due to unfavourable circumstances.
In a statement, Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant said, “I followed the complex operation from the command and control center — IDF, ISA and Special Forces operated with extraordinary courage under heavy fire, and succeeded in completing their mission. Israel’s defense establishment will continue fighting until 120 hostages return home.”
Hostage Families Forum also issued a statement and said, “The heroic operation by the IDF that freed and brought home Noa Argamani, Shlomi Ziv, Andrey Kozlov, and Almog Meir Jan is a miraculous triumph. Now, with the joy that is washing over Israel, the Israeli government must remember its commitment to bring back all 120 hostages still held by Hamas – the living for rehabilitation, the murdered for burial.”
Noa was one of the hostages whose videos of Hamas terrorists taking her to Gaza went viral on social media. In a video, she was seen forcefully seated on the backseat of a bike pleading and screaming. Her mother, a Chinese national, is suffering from brain cancer. In November 2023, she released a video pleading for her daughter’s release. Noa was also seen in propaganda videos released by Hamas giving hope to her family that she was still alive.
Israel Hamas war entered its eighth month on 8th June.
