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Former captive rejects Israeli media claims of abuse in Gaza

Friday, 23 August 2024 5:31 PM [ Last Update: Friday, 23 August 2024 5:31 PM ]

Israeli settler Noa Argamani (C) attends a meeting with G7 embassy representatives during a visit to Tokyo on August 21, 2024. (By AFP)

An Israeli settler who spent months in captivity in Gaza says she was injured in an Israeli attack, rejecting Israeli media reports, which claimed she was beaten and had her hair cut by Gaza resistance fighters.

In a social media post on Friday, Noa Argamani stated that the Israeli media had misquoted her.

"I cannot ignore what happened here over the past 24 hours, taking my words out of context," she wrote on Instagram, referring to the media coverage of her statements during a meeting with diplomats from G7 countries in Tokyo on Wednesday, where she detailed her conditions after being taken captive by Hamas on October 7.

She clarified that she was not harmed by the Qassam Brigades but by the Israeli regime itself.

"The 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 added.

"I emphasize that no one hit me during captivity, but I was injured all over my body after the airstrike. I am a victim of the October 7th incident, and I refuse to be victimized again by the Israeli media."

Noa Argamani was taken captive on October 7, and a video of her being taken out of the occupied territories on the back of a motorcycle was widely circulated in the media.

"I was not beaten and my hair was not cut"

Noa Argamani, an Israeli settler who was held captive by Hamas, took to her social media accounts to debunk lies that Israeli media attributed to her about the way Hamas treated her during captivity. pic.twitter.com/7ePNtjn55o
— Palestine Highlights (@PalHighlight) August 23, 2024

She was taken back to the occupied territories in June alongside three other Israeli captives after a massacre that killed at least 274 Palestinians in the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza.

Since her return, Argamani has repeatedly expressed frustration over the distortion of her accounts, particularly concerning her treatment while in Gaza.

She 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.

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Her statements have sparked controversy among Israeli officials and media, as they contradict the Israeli narrative about captives in Gaza.

Israeli officials have repeatedly made false accusations that Hamas fighters beheaded babies and raped women during their October 7 operation. These allegations have been debunked by international journalists and news agencies.

However, Israeli officials, including prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, continue to repeat these claims, notably during Netanyahu's speech to Congress last month.

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