Connect with us

World

Mother of rescued hostage Noa Argamani, Liora, passes away from cancer

Published

2 days ago

on

Mother of rescued hostage Noa Argamani, Liora Argamani, passed away at the age of 61 after a long battle with brain cancer, Israeli media reported on Tuesday morning.

Her death was officially announced by Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center. “The family has requested that their privacy be respected during these difficult times,” the hospital said.

Liora spent her last days with her rescued daughter, who was saved last month by the IDF in Operation Arnon.

Never giving up hope

Since her daughter’s violent kidnapping, Liora Argamani continually advocated for the safe return of Noa and the other hostages. She did this while suffering from brain cancer, which is often accompanied by headaches, seizures, persistent nausea, and drowsiness, as well as cognitive symptoms such as possible mental degradation and progressive weakness or paralysis on at least one side of the body, according to the British National Health Service (NHS.)

As reported by the Jerusalem Post shortly after Noa Argamani’s kidnapping, Liora’s constant “wish” during her daughter’s captivity in Gaza by Hamas was “for the chance to see my Noa, at home,” and beseeched President Biden to help in her daughter’s safe return.

Liora Argamani, whose daughter, Noa, 26, was kidnapped from the Nova festival on October 7, pleads to see her daughter in a video posted online. (credit: screenshot)

In a video, Liora addressed Noa while the latter was still in captivity, telling her, “If I don’t get to see you, please know that I love you so much. Please know we did everything we could to get you released. The whole world loves you.”

Following a video Hamas released in January where Noa Argamani is seen announcing the death of two Israeli hostages in Gaza, the Post reported that Liora Argamani had made great efforts in securing her daughter’s release and appeared on CNN in December, as well as wrote letters to US President Joe Biden. 

During an interview, Liora Argamani emphasized how important it was for her “to see my daughter again before I leave the world…” She further stressed that Noa “deserves to see her mother alive for the last time.”

Later, mere hours after being rescued from captivity, Noa Argamani arrived at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center to see her mother, the Post reported in early June.

After eight months of captivity, Noa Argamani was able to communicate with her mother, who hospital staff and family members believed understood that her daughter had safely returned home, hospital CEO Ronni Gamzu reported.

‘There was great joy when she opened her eye’

Following the announcement of Liora Argamani’s passing, her relative Amnon Regev spoke about “Liora’s story” on 103FM.

“Let’s talk about joy, sadness, inspiration, cultures – all these things exist in Liora’s story,” Regev begins, adding that “you could write a book about Liora’s story.”

“For me personally, her story is one of inspiration,” Regev stated, emphasizing that he was inspired by her “struggles, her faith.” He added that he is sad at her passing, but the sadness is tinged with “joy” as they may “lean on stories” of her strength and faith.

“I was there,” he noted, concerning the anticipated reunion between mother and daughter following Noa Argamani’s rescue. “There was great joy when she opened her eye. Plain and simple, she understood that her daughter had returned.”

“I heard from Yaakov firsthand that she knew it was something she had eagerly awaited,” Amnon stressed, emphasizing that Liora was aware she managed to fulfill her final wish of seeing her daughter again.

“And so, Liora’s story is holistic, much broader, much more significant. Someone who came from China connected with someone from Beersheba, and together, they created an amazing story, and everything that happened; happened.”

Amnon concluded the interview by saying, “All her wishes came true, so there is more joy than sadness here. The strength of these people, in their culture and how they conducted themselves, is simply admirable. We all need to stop for a minute and think about how we conduct ourselves in this world.”

Noa speaks out for the first time since her rescue

Noa spoke for the first time since her rescue in a video released by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum on Saturday, where she thanked the IDF and urged the return of the remaining 120 individuals in Hamas captivity.

“As an only child and as a child to a mother with a terminal illness, my biggest worry in captivity was for my parents,” she said. “It is a great privilege to be by my mother’s side after eight months of uncertainty. It’s a great privilege to see my parents surrounded by so many good people.

“I want to thank the security forces, our army, the soldiers, reservists, special forces and everyone who took part in the rescue operation and risked their lives so that I could return home,” she continued.



Related Topics:
Continue Reading