Noa Argamani , who was freed from Hamas captivity last month in "Operation Arnon," told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Monday at a meeting he held with the relatives of the hostages in Washington that she broke down when he said that the war would be long. According to her, it made it difficult for her. He responded with an impassive face, and Noa broke down in tears , finding comfort in one of the mothers present at the meeting.
“The hardest moment I had in captivity was when I listened to the radio and heard you say the war will be long. I thought, ‘I won’t get out of here.’ It was a breaking point for me,” Argamani told the prime minister. "You must bring them home as quickly as possibly, before it is too late”
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Noa Argamani and her father, Yaakov, met Benjamin Netanyahu last month immediately after she was freed from Hamas captivity
(Photo: Ma'ayan Toaf/ GPO)
"They are suffering and dying there and we need to bring them back as soon as possible. I don't want to get into a political debate. I saw death with my eyes. Yossi Sharabi and Itay Svirsky were killed next to me," she also said.
Family members who were present at the meeting with Netanyahu called it "shocking."
“The prime minister avoided questions about the conditions and timing in which he would accept a deal,” said Daniel Neutra, the brother of Israeli-American hostage Omer Neutra. “He said we are closer than ever to a deal, but he didn’t give the impression that he is willing to accept a deal within a few days.”
"He spoke at length about the existential danger that Israel is facing. Many of the people who flew with him spoke highly of him and told him to ignore the members of the government and the army who say it's time for a cease-fire, claiming that the same parties are also responsible for the intelligence failure on October 7," he added.
"Netanyahu also emphasized that he ignored U.S. pressure and invaded Rafah, and that only by doing so was he able to push for a better deal. Netanyahu expressed his commitment to return everyone home, but loosely referred to the aspects of the deal that he could not agree to, especially the number of hostages who would be released in the first phase. He continuously pointed out the importance of destroying Hamas. He said that we are closer to a deal than ever, but he did not give the impression that he was ready to get a deal in a few days," Neutra said.
Netanyahu met Monday with the families of the hostages who came with him from Israel at the Watergate Hotel where he is staying. Other family members of hostages who came to Washington on their own in order to demonstrate against the prime minister were also invited to the meeting. A senior source in the Prime Minister's Office said that the office financed the travel of the families protesting against Netanyahu according to the Law on Rewards for Abducted Families, which provides funds for travel abroad.
"We are determined to return them all. The conditions to return them are ripe, for the simple reason that we are putting very strong pressure on Hamas. We are seeing a certain change, and I think this change will grow," Netanyahu told the families.
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U.S. President Joe Biden will meet this week with families of hostages with American citizenship
(צילום: AP /Jacquelyn Martin)
A senior U.S. official said Tuesday that U.S. President Joe Biden will meet this week with families of hostages with U.S. citizenship. On Tuesday evening, in his first message since announcing his decision to withdraw from the race, Biden said: "We will continue to work very hard to end the war in Gaza. I will work with the Israelis and the Palestinians to return all the hostages home. I think we are close to doing that."
Even before they met with Netanyahu, the families of the American hostages met at the White House with U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, and heard an update on the contacts for the deal. Sullivan projected optimism regarding the contacts and said that "a deal is just a matter of days away if there is leadership."
The families were impressed that Biden's withdrawal from the presidential race has actually increased American involvement. "Biden is more freed from other commitments to focus on the deal that will be part of his legacy," said Ruby Chen, the father of Sgt. Itay Chen who was killed on October 7 and whose body is being held by Hamas in Gaza, who attended the meeting.
The attack on Noa Argamani and the condemnations
Noa Argamani and her father, Yaakov, who joined Prime Minister Netanyahu for his visit to the U.S., have come under attack following the decision, among others from members of the media. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum condemned the statements, in addition to condemnations from all ends of the political spectrum.
Businessman Roni Mana harshly attacked Argamani, and in a tweet he posted on the X platform and later deleted, he wrote: "I would have preferred you to remain in captivity and the late Arnon Zamora was still alive. Why did he fall, why did he sacrifice his life, so that her babyist father would take Noa to the Netanyahu family's flamboyant plane?"
Mana later apologized and retracted his words.
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Noa Argamani and her father board the prime minister's flight to Washington
(Photo: Itamar Eichner)
Haaretz journalist Uri Misgav also attacked Argamani and her father, writing: "Noa Argamani and her father should be ashamed of agreeing to be used as props in the flight of this deranged and smiling couple (Benjamin and Sara Netanyahu), on the very morning when we were informed of two more hostages who were unlucky enough to die in captivity and not fly to Washington with the hostages." Retired journalist Dan Margalit agreed with him, writing in a social media post: "Shame on Noa Argamani and her father who voluntarily serve as a backdrop for Bibi's show in Washington."
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum condemned the attacks against the members of the families of the hostages, and against Noa and her father in particular. "The decision to take part in the Prime Minister's delegation to Washington is a personal decision of each family. Noa Argamani was brutally kidnapped and held captive by Hamas for 246 days. We should not judge her for her decision to fly and raise the cry of the 120 hostages," the group said in a statement.
The group added that its position on the issue "was and still is that we are waiting for a deal to be signed and are waiting for the prime minister's speech in Congress in the hope that he will bring with him the news about closing the deal for the return of all the hostages - the living for rehabilitation and the murdered and the dead for a proper burial in their country."