The mother of Noa Argamani, who became the face of the Israeli hostage crisis after her abduction on Oct. 7 was caught on video, died of brain cancer just over three weeks after her daughter was rescued from the Gaza Strip.
The Ichilov Medical Center in Tel Aviv confirmed in a statement Tuesday that Liora Argamani had died “after a long battle with cancer.”
Standing beside her father, Yaakov, at the funeral, Noa Argamani said she was grateful she got to see her mother before she died.
“I’m standing here today and still trying to digest everything that happened recently," she said. "Against all odds I was privileged to be with you in your last moments, talk with you, laugh with you.”
“Thank you for being strong and holding on all this time just so I could see you at least one more time, just so Dad won’t be left alone,” she said.
Argamani,26, of Be’er Sheva, was at the Nova music festival in southern Israel when Palestinian fighters seized her, put her on the back of a motorcycle and roared off with her deep into Gaza.
On June 8, Argamani was one of four hostages rescued by the Israeli Defense Forces in a daytime raid on two houses in the Nuseirat refugee camp in which scores of Palestinians were killed.
Argamani said that her mother was her role model and that she taught her how to appreciate "the little moments in life."
"I promise you I will take care of Da, and to take care of him like you did for 31 years," she said. "I promise you I will be strong exactly like you. Mom, you will always be a part of me, no matter where I go or who I will meet.”
Then she hugged her father.
Earlier, the hospital said in a statement that Liora Argamani, who was 61, “spent her final days alongside her daughter Noa, who returned from captivity, and her close family.”
Liora Argamani had spent months publicly pleading for her daughter’s release, telling anyone who would listen that she did not have long to live and wanted to see her again.
“I wish for the chance to see my Noa, at home," she said in a video released in November. "I call upon President Biden and the Red Cross to bring back my Noa as soon as possible so that I get the chance to see her."
“Noa,” she added, “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.”
Images of Argamani were seen around the world after the 10-second video was circulated showing her screaming as she was carried away on the back of the motorcycle.
Her boyfriend, Avinatan Or, was also abducted and is believed to still be somewhere in Gaza.
In a video released Saturday, Argamani said she wanted to remind the world that around 120 hostages, most of them Israeli, were still being held in Gaza.
“Although I’m home now, we can’t forget about the hostages who are still in Hamas captivity, and we must do everything possible to bring them back home,” she said.
NBC News uncovered information in December suggesting that Argamani was most likely abducted not by Hamas but by Gazans who swept into Israel hours after the initial attack.
