Noa Argamani, the freed Israeli hostage whose kidnapping during the Oct. 7 terrorist attack was captured in a harrowing viral video, received sustained applause and a standing ovation Wednesday afternoon during Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address to a joint meeting of Congress.
Argamani, who was rescued by Israeli forces on June 8, smiled and stood with her hands clasped in the gallery of the House chamber as lawmakers and guests paid tribute to her ordeal. She was embraced by Netanyahu's wife, Sara.
Netanyahu proceeded to recount the details of Argamani's kidnapping, describing "Noa's look of desperation" as militants took her into the Gaza Strip on the back of a motorcycle.
"I met Noa's mother, Liora, a few months ago. She was dying of cancer. She said to me, 'Prime Minister, I have one final wish. I wish to hug my daughter Noa one last time before I die.'"
Netanyahu went on to describe the "breathtaking commando rescue operation" that freed Argamani and three other Israeli hostages. His account of the operation drew another round of applause.
"I think it's one of the most moving things," Netanyahu went on to say. "When Noa was reunited with her mother, Liora, and her mother's last wish came true."
Liora Argamani died of brain cancer just over three weeks after Noa was rescued.
Noa Argamani was at the Nova music festival in southern Israel when Hamas militants launched their attack, and she was taken captive. In the days and weeks that followed, a short video clip of her kidnapping circulated widely on social media platforms, drawing international attention to the plight of the hostages.
She turned 26 in captivity.
Argamani's boyfriend, Avinatan Or, was also kidnapped. He is believed to remain in Gaza along with roughly 100 other hostages.
Netanyahu's remarks were the first time he has addressed Congress since the Hamas terrorist attack and the beginning of Israel's monthslong military campaign in Gaza. In his speech, he compared Oct. 7 to Pearl Harbor and 9/11.
He also blasted protests against his handling of the war — both on college campuses this spring and outside the Capitol as he spoke.
Hamas and other militants seized around 247 hostages in the Oct. 7 attack, which killed around 1,200 people. Israel's military campaign in Gaza has killed more than 39,000 people, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, including 210 people who died during the operation that freed Argamani.
