By Maayan Lubell

Item 1 of 4 Released Israeli hostage, Avinatan Or, held in Gaza since the deadly October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas, kisses his girlfriend, Noa Argamani, who was also taken hostage and rescued in 2024, after his release as part of a prisoner-hostage swap and a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, in Reim, Israel October 13, 2025. Courtesy of Israel Defense Forces/Handout via REUTERS

[1/4] Released Israeli hostage, Avinatan Or, held in Gaza since the deadly October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas, kisses his girlfriend, Noa Argamani, who was also taken hostage and rescued in 2024, after his release as part of a prisoner-hostage swap and a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, in Reim,… Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab Read more

JERUSALEM, Oct 13 (Reuters) – Former Israeli hostage Noa Argamani — whose desperate cries on the back of a motorcycle became one of the most haunting images of the Hamas October 7, 2023, attack — was reunited on Monday with her newly freed boyfriend, Avinatan Or.

A government video showed Or, 32, first hugging and kissing his parents as his mother Ditza chants the Jewish “shehecheyanu” blessing voicing gratitude for new experiences on his return from two years of Hamas captivity in Gaza.

Or is then led to a room where he finds Argamani, 28, who was rescued from captivity by Israeli special forces in Gaza along with three other hostages in June 2024. The two embrace and kiss, apparently overwhelmed by the moment.

Footage of Argamani being taken into Gaza on the motorcycle, pleading for her life and reaching desperately towards her boyfriend as he marched alongside her on foot circulated across the globe soon after the October 7 attack.

The two were seized from the Nova music festival that was one of the main focuses of the Hamas attack in southern Israel. More than 360 people were killed at the site and another 40 were taken hostage. After her return, Argamani campaigned for the return of the other hostages.

On Monday, Hamas handed over Or and 19 other surviving Israeli hostages as part of the first phase of a ceasefire deal brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump, who arrived in Israel shortly before Or was freed.

Israel released about 2,000 Palestinian detainees and prisoners in the exchange deal.

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. , opens new tab

Suggested Topics:

Read Next

ago Middle East category

ago Middle East category

ago Middle East category

ago Middle East category

ago Middle East category

Hamas freed the last living Israeli hostages from Gaza on Monday under a ceasefire deal and Israel sent home busloads of Palestinian detainees, as U.S. President Donald Trump told Israel’s parliament that peace had arrived in the Holy Land.

Site Index

About Reuters

Stay Informed

Information you can trust

Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the world’s largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people worldwide every day. Reuters provides business, financial, national and international news to professionals via desktop terminals, the world’s media organizations, industry events and directly to consumers.

Read More