Freed Israeli captive says she was wounded by Israel, not Hamas
text_fields
Noa Argamani who was freed from Hamas captivity
Noa Argamani, an Israeli woman freed from Hamas captivity in Gaza in June, has discounted reports suggesting that she was injured after Hamas attack.
She said that her injuries were caused by an Israeli air strike during her rescue operation, not by a Hamas attack, reported Middle East Eye.
Speaking to diplomats from G7 countries in Tokyo on Wednesday, Argamani detailed her ordeal after she was taken captive by Palestinian armed groups during the 7 October attack.
However, two days later, she issued a statement on Instagram, saying that some of her remarks had been misquoted and taken out of context.
Contrary to some Israeli media reports, Argamani clarified that she was not beaten or had her hair shaved by Palestinian fighters.
"I cannot ignore what happened here over the past 24 hours, taking my words out of context," she wrote, referring to the Israeli media coverage of her Tokyo speech.
"[Hamas members] did not hit me while I was in captivity, nor did they cut my hair; I was injured by the collapse of a wall caused by an [Israeli] Air Force pilot," MEE quoted her as saying.
MEE reported that various media channels, particularly those in Israel, had reported that Argamani had said that her hair was cut by her captors and that she was beaten or hit all over her body.
In the statement, Argamani clarified that she said that she had “cuts” all over her head and that she was “hurting” all over her body. She further stressed that her hair had not been cut, that she was not beaten and that her injuries came from a building collapsing on her after it was bombed by the Israeli Air Force.
"As a victim of 7 October, I refuse to be victimised once again by the media."
Argamani, 26, was among four Israeli captives rescued during an Israeli attack on Nuseirat and Deir al-Balah refugee camps in Gaza in June, which resulted in the deaths of at least 236 Palestinians, mostly women and children.
In her testimony on Thursday, Argamani said her survival was a "miracle". World leaders praise rescue of Gaza captives - and fail to mention hundreds of dead Palestinians.
"It's a miracle because I survived 7 October, and I survived this bombing and I also survived the rescue."
Argamani stressed that securing the release of the remaining Israeli captives should be a top priority for her government.
Her boyfriend, Avinatan Or, remains in Hamas captivity and is among 105 individuals believed to be held in Gaza, including 34 whom the Israeli military has reported as dead.
"Avinatan, my boyfriend, is still there, and we need to bring them back before it's going to be too late. We don't want to lose more people than we already lost," Argamani said.
Speaking to Middle East Eye after her abduction, Argamani's father prayed for peace and an end to the suffering of both the captives and the Palestinians in Gaza.
"We have to stop this killing between us and them so that there can be real peace between these two countries once and for all," he said shortly after the 7 October attack.
