Dramatic moment IDF forces locate and rescue Hamas hostage Noa Argamani, 26, after 245 days in captivity
THIS is the moment IDF soldiers broke into a house and rescued hostage Noa Argamani during the daring raid on Gaza.
The helmet cam footage shows the troops finding the 26-year-old at a Hamas compound after 245 days in captivity.
A group of soldiers in full gear and with rifles poised in front can be seen storming into the house where Noa was held captive by the terror group.
The IDF troops can then be heard telling her: “Noa, everything is alright. We’re taking you home.”
The headcam clips shows Noa being carried out on the back of an IDF soldier while gunshots thunder outside.
Noa was then led to a car before being bundled into a chopper wearing a bullet-proof vest and a helmet.
In another footage, the terrified 26-year-old is seen wearing a ski mask as she says: “I am very excited but I am just worried about the way home.”
A relative of Noa told reporters that the military had banged on the door of where she was being held in Gaza and yelled they had come to rescue her.
Asaf Shaibi said: “She told me a little. It was 10am and they banged on the door and shouted ‘It’s the IDF and we’ve come to rescue you’.
Three other hostages were freed during the carefully planned operation “Arnon” which saw the Nuseirat refugee camp raided in broad daylight.
Almog Meir Jan, 21, Andrey Kozlov, 27, Shlomi Ziv, 40 – who were abducted during October 7 attack – were rescued at another location.
The freed hostages were rushed to hospital in Israel to be checked over before reuniting with their families.
The four hostages were all understood to be well but have been transferred to a medical centre for “further medical examinations”, reported the IDF.
Noa’s plight became one of the most harrowing and recognisable images as the world came to terms with the atrocity at Nova festival.
She was seen being loaded onto a motorbike as she pleaded with Hamas “don’t kill me”.
Noa’s family only discovered she had been taken when they stumbled upon the disturbing footage online.
More footage of her being held in an unknown location appeared online since her abduction.
Noa revealed her captors were a “well-to-do” family but forced her to live in darkness for eight gruelling months after being banned from ever seeing sunlight.
She was only allowed to leave a closely monitored room at night dressed as an Arab woman so she could be sneaked away from any Israeli forces patrolling a war-torn Gaza, she said.
A beaming Noa was pictured embracing her dad Yaakov inside the hospital during a tearful reunion.
Noa also saw her terminally ill mother, Liora, when she safely arrived in Israel.
However, Noa’s boyfriend Avinatan Or is believed to remain held in captivity by Hamas.
THE RESCUE OPERATION
Israeli forces described the heroic mission where the four hostages were saved as smooth despite Hamas claiming it was a deadly assault.
A firefight was said to have broken out between the Hamas captors and the Israeli special forces as they battled to keep the hostages alive while eliminating any terrorists.
Hamas claimed at least 274 Palestinians were killed during the rescue mission that blitzed the Nuseirat refugee camp.
Hamas has not said how many of those were combatants.
IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari admitted their forces came under heavy fire but strongly denied the high number of casualties.
He said his commandos working responded to the sounds of gunfire by firing “from the air and from the street”.
Hagari added: “We know about under 100 [Palestinian] casualties. I don’t know how many of them are terrorists.”
The IDF said the four hostages were being held by terrorists in the homes of Gaza families in two Hamas-controlled buildings.
Hamas has previously been accused of using civilians as human shields.
As an Israeli special forces commander was also killed during the operation, a police statement said.
Gazan paramedics and residents said the assault killed scores of people and left mangled bodies of men, women and children strewn around a marketplace and a mosque.
There are 116 hostages left in the coastal enclave, according to Israeli tallies – including at least 40 who have been declared dead in absentia.
The spokesperson for Hamas’ armed al-Qassam Brigades, Abu Ubaida, said some hostages were killed during the rescue operation.
Hamas had earlier said it still held a large number of hostages.