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Noa Argamani, who was rescued by the IDF after being abducted during the Hamas massacre and held hostage in Gaza, said on Friday she will continue to fight until the remaining 59 hostages are returned.
Argamani, who was named one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people of the year, spoke at the magazine's gala event in New York.
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Noa Argamani at the Time magazine gala
(Video: Reuters)
"I cannot celebrate as long as hostages are still held by Hamas," she said. Among those still in captivity is her partner, Avinatan Or, who was with her at the Nova music festival during the massacre and was also abducted. "I cannot heal until Avinatan returns," Argamani said. "I cannot forget that this time last year, I was not sure that I would survive."
Time Magazine included Argamani in its list of the most influential figures alongside U.S. President Donald Trump, his Vice President JD Vance, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Syria’s new ruler Ahmad al-Sharaa, among others.
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In an interview with the magazine, Argamani said that while in captivity, she was unable to learn the fate of her partner. "I asked everywhere I was, but no one knew anything. I did not know if he was alive or not. I did not want to know because the answer could have been too hard for me to bear."
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The abduction of Noa Argamani and Avinatan Or during the Hamas-led October 7 terrorist attack
She urged the public to visit the exhibit The Moment the Music Stood Still, currently on display in several cities around the world. "Because I was there and many of my friends were massacred, it was hard for me to see the exhibition, but everyone should—because we were there to dance and enjoy life. It was all about peace and love," she said, referring to the anti-Israel protests at Coachella earlier this month.
Argamani added that such festivals should not become political. "It's important for people to come and see that all we wanted was to have a good time. We were not political, not from the right or the left," she said.