On Saturday, Israeli forces freed four hostages held by militants at the Nova music festival in Gaza over the past eight months.
Since the Hamas-led terrorist attack on October 7, Israel has rescued only a handful of hostages through military force. Saturday’s rescue operation took place in Nuserat, central Gaza, and health officials reported dozens of Palestinian deaths.
Here’s what we know about the four hostages brought back to Israel.
Noah Agamani
Noa Argamani, 26, was taken hostage along with her boyfriend Avinatan Or in the Oct. 7 attack. Video that went viral showed Ms Agamani shouting in despair as she was driven into Gaza on a motorbike.
Ms Agamani and her boyfriend were abducted from the Nova music festival in southern Israel, where armed men carried out a brutal rampage against partygoers. The fate of Ms. Agamani’s boyfriend is unknown.
Ms Agamani’s plight has received significant attention, in part because her mother, Leola, has brain cancer and her condition has worsened significantly in recent months.
“I don’t know how much time I have left,” the mother said last year. “I want to see my Noah at home.”
Andrei Kozlov
Andrey Kozlov, 27, was working as a security guard at the festival when he was taken away. He recently immigrated to Israel from Russia and is a resident of the central Israeli city of Rishon LeZion.
In January, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov told Hamas officials that the release of civilians captured in the Oct. 7 attack should be expedited, according to a statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry. Including Kozlov and two other Russian citizens.
In a video shared on social media on Saturday, Kozlov could be seen smiling as troops were escorted from a military helicopter.
may god protect you
Almog Meir Jan, 22, was kidnapped the day before he was supposed to start a new job at a technology company, according to the Hostage Family Forum.
In December, Sky News aired an interview with his mother Orit, who said her son called her at 7.45am on October 7 and described the chaotic scenes at the festival.
“Mom, they closed the festival,” she remembers him saying. “There were rockets and shootings everywhere.”
Video of Meir Young’s family celebrating the news of his freedom was shared on social media on Saturday. “I’m excited,” his mother said.
Shlomi Ziff
Shlomi Ziv, 41, works as security at the festival. He is a resident of the northern Israeli community of Elkosh, where he lives with his wife Milan, according to the Hostage Family Forum.
