By Jane Prinsley

Copyright thejc

Former hostage Noa Argamani has said she fears for the life of her boyfriend, who remains in captivity, as Israel expands its offensive in Gaza City. Thousands of Palestinians were forced to flee the city as Israel launched its long-planned major ground offensive, with heavy air strikes overnight and troops advancing into the edges of the city. Writing on X on Tuesday, Argamani – said she “cannot breathe watching the fighting inside Gaza City” and recalled the “despair” she felt as a hostage when the “walls shook” from Israeli strikes. The 28-year-old Israeli was held hostage for 245 days – a period she described as “pure hell”. Footage of her being abducted and carried away on the back of a motorbike as she screamed with arms outstretched toward her boyfriend sent shockwaves around the world as the public watched the October 7 atrocities in real time. Stills from the footage of Noa appeared on the front pages of newspapers in the UK and abroad on 8 October 2023, with her image serving as an emblem for the horrors that began to unfold the previous day. In her online post, Argamani said: “I cannot breathe watching the fighting inside Gaza City. As a former hostage, I know exactly what these moments feel like.” Recalling hearing the bombardments while being held captive, she wrote: “The booming blasts, the gunfire, the walls shaking, the helplessness and despair that take over. The emotions come rushing back all at once, and it is unbearable.” Argamani’s boyfriend Avinatan Or was also kidnapped by Hamas from the Nova festival on October 7, and remains in captivity. Argamani said: “Right now, I fear deeply for Avinatan’s life. I fear for the lives of all the hostages. I saw my friend die before my eyes in captivity, and I cannot accept that it should happen to anyone else, ever again. “We must not let this continue. We must do everything in our power to bring everyone home, to see the hostages, including Avinatan, return safely. I pray this operation ends swiftly, and that every soldier and every hostage comes back home safe and sound. “We need them back to heal; we need this to be over to recover.” Argamani’s comments coincided with the launch of a new protest against the IDF’s expansion of the war in Gaza City by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents the majority of hostages’ relatives in Israel. The forum set up an encampment outside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence in Jerusalem and declared a “state of emergency” over the new Gaza offensive. “Stand with us outside the Prime Minister’s residence,” the forum said in an appeal to the public. “The writing is on the wall! There will not be another time to save our brothers and sisters who have been suffering in the tunnels for 711 days. We cannot sacrifice the hostages. Together we will save Israel!” The forum said the encampment would “remain until Netanyahu listens and implements the people’s will — the immediate return of all hostages and an end to the war.” It plans to hold demonstrations at the encampment every evening at 7.30 local time. Speaking outside Netanyahu’s residence, Ella and Yuli Ben Ami, daughters of released hostages Raz and Ohad Ben Ami, along with Nofar Buchshtav, sister of murdered hostage Yagev Buchshtav, said “entering Gaza endangers the hostages’ lives and turns them into human shields against the terrible war taking place there.” Protesters outside the prime minister’s residence in Jerusalem (Photo: Tanya Zion-Waldoks)[Missing Credit] Shay Dickmann, cousin of slain hostage Carmel Gat, said in an address directed at Netanyahu: “Prime Minister, the November deal lasted seven days. If it had continued for an eighth, ninth, and tenth day… I would have been standing here with Carmel — alive, smiling, healing, and recovering. “But Prime Minister, back then you chose war over a deal. Do you remember what happened then? Let me remind you: When the military pressure reached Khan Younis in January, where Elad Katzir was held captive, his captors executed him. In February, when the military pressure reached Yagev’s tunnel with five other hostages, all six were executed by the terrorists holding them. And in August, when the military pressure reached Rafah, Carmel, Alex, Ori, Almog, Eden, and Hersh were executed by the terrorists holding them. “Because if you still don’t understand, Prime Minister – Hamas terrorists are holding civilians you are responsible for. So tell me, why are they still in Gaza?” Meanwhile, Macabit Mayer, the aunt of hostages Gali and Ziv Berman, said: “This morning I woke up, an hour away from the border, and my house shook! So what’s going on with Gali and Ziv that my house, an hour away, shook? What the hell are you doing? Where are you leading us? To what hell are you leading this wonderful nation? You are not worthy of this nation! “We are not guerrillas; we are tormented families. Just come out already, for heaven’s sake, and talk to us. “Why do we have to talk to American officials? Why don’t you come to talk to us? Dermer won’t talk to us, the defence minister won’t talk to us. All day long, you boast about killing and destruction. Bringing down buildings in Gaza—who are you bringing these buildings down on? Could it be that you are bringing these buildings down right now on Gali and Ziv and all the souls left there—the living and the deceased?”