Four hostages kidnapped at the Nova music festival and held by militants in Gaza for the past eight months were rescued by Israeli forces on Saturday.
Since the Hamas-led terrorist attack on October 7, Israel has only released a small number of hostages through military force. Saturday’s rescues occurred in Nuseirat, central Gaza, where health officials reported that dozens of Palestinians had been killed.
Here’s what we know about the four hostages who were returned to Israel.
Noa Argamani
Noa Argamani, 26, was taken hostage in the Oct. 7 attack along with her boyfriend, Avinatan Or. Viral footage showed Ms Argamani being taken to Gaza on the back of a motorcycle as she screamed in despair.
Ms Argamani and her boyfriend were kidnapped at the Nova music festival in southern Israel, where militants carried out brutal atrocities against partygoers.
Argamani’s plight received enormous attention, in part because his mother, Liora, suffers from brain cancer and her condition has deteriorated significantly in recent months.
“I don’t know how much time I have left,” the mother said last year. “I wish to see my Noa at home.”
Andrey Kozlov
Andrey Kozlov, 27, was working as a security guard at the music festival when he was kidnapped. He recently immigrated to Israel from Russia and resided in Rishon Lezion, a city in central Israel.
In January, Mikhail Bogdanov, the Russian deputy foreign minister, told Hamas officials that the release of civilians captured in the Oct. 7 attack, including Kozlov and two other Russian nationals, should be accelerated, according to a government statement. Russian. Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In images shared on social media on Saturday, Kozlov could be seen smiling as he was escorted by troops from a military helicopter.
Almog Meir Jan
Almog Meir Jan, 22, was kidnapped a day before he was supposed to start a new job at a technology company, according to the Hostage Families Forum.
In December, Sky News broadcast an interview with his mother, Orit, who said her son had called her on October 7 at 7.45am and described the chaotic scenes unfolding at the festival site.
“Mom, they closed the festival,” she remembers him telling her. “There are rockets and gunshots everywhere.”
On Saturday, images of Mr. Meir Jan’s family celebrating the news of his freedom were shared on social media. “I’m very excited,” his mother said.
Shlomi Ziv
Shlomi Ziv, 41, worked as a security guard at the festival. He is a resident of Elkosh, a community in northern Israel, where he lived with his wife, Miran, according to the Hostage Families Forum.