Noa Argamani, an Israeli woman freed from Hamas captivity in Gaza in June, said on Friday that her injuries were caused by an Israeli air strike during her rescue operation, not by a Hamas attack.
Speaking to diplomats from G7 countries in Tokyo on Wednesday, Argamani detailed her ordeal after she was taken captive by Palestinian armed groups during the 7 October attack.
However, two days later, she issued a statement on Instagram, saying that some of her remarks had been misquoted and taken out of context.
Contrary to some Israeli media reports, Argamani clarified that she was not beaten or had her hair shaved by Palestinian fighters.
Through her Instagram page, Argamani clarified that the Qassam Brigades did not harm her physically or cut her hair, but she sustained injuries when a wall collapsed during an Israeli airstrike.
“I cannot stay silent about what the Israeli media has done to me over the past 24 hours, taking my words out of context,” she stated, adding: “I am a victim of the October 7 operation, and I refuse to be victimized again by the Israeli media.”
Argamani explained that Al-Qassam members “did not hit me while I was in captivity, nor did they cut my hair.”
“I was injured by the collapse of a wall caused by an Israeli airstrike,” she highlighted.
Argamani, 26, was among four Israeli captives rescued during an Israeli attack on Nuseirat and Deir al-Balah refugee camps in Gaza in June, which resulted in the deaths of at least 236 Palestinians, mostly women and children.
In her testimony on Thursday, Argamani said her survival was a “miracle”.
“It’s a miracle because I survived 7 October, and I survived this bombing and I also survived the rescue.”
Argamani stressed that securing the release of the remaining Israeli captives should be a top priority for her government.
Her boyfriend, Avinatan Or, remains in Hamas captivity and is among 105 individuals believed to be held in Gaza, including 34 whom the Israeli military has reported as dead.
“Avinatan, my boyfriend, is still there, and we need to bring them back before it’s going to be too late. We don’t want to lose more people than we already lost,” Argamani said.
Since her return, Argamani has expressed frustration over the distortion of her accounts, particularly concerning her treatment while in Gaza.
According to Al-Jazeera, she recounted that a day after her release, she was held captive with Yossi Sharaabi and Itai Versky, both of whom were killed in an Israeli airstrike on Gaza.
She also described surviving an Israeli missile strike on a house where she had been detained, saying, “I saw the missile hit the house and thought I would die, but I survived.”
Argamani added that Hamas members moved her between different locations and allowed her to go outside occasionally, disguised as an Arab woman.
Her statements have sparked controversy among Israeli officials and media, as they contradict the prevailing narrative about Israeli detainees in Gaza.
