Two years after he was kidnapped from the Nova music festival along with his girlfriend, Noa Argamani, Avinatan Or was freed Monday from Hamas captivity in Gaza and returned to Israel as part of a hostage deal.
Or, 32, was abducted on Oct. 7, 2023, during Hamas’s assault on southern Israel and had not been seen publicly since. He reunited Monday with Argamani for the first time since the two were violently separated by Hamas terrorists. In the first photos released by the IDF, Or, appearing frail and gaunt, embraced Argamani and kissed her on the cheek.
Avinatan meets with his parents and girlfriend Noa Argamani
(Video IDF)
“We love you, our dear Avinatan,” his family said in a statement. “We want so much to be together as a family and to rejoice. Our joy will not be complete until all the living hostages return home and the fallen are brought to burial in Israel with dignity.”
According to Israel’s Keshet News, Or was held for most of his captivity in central Gaza, under especially harsh conditions. He was systematically starved, and an initial medical report indicated he lost between 30% and 40% of his body weight. He was released severely undernourished and extremely weak.
The report also said Or was kept in total isolation. For two full years, he did not meet other hostages and knew little about events in Israel.
His parents, Yaron and Ditsa Or, were among the first to see him after his release. “He’s lanky, thin, with a huge mustache—but alive,” Yaron Or told reporters. “From his movements he seems to be in good condition, thank God. We’re waiting to see him. This is the day the Lord has made for us a great miracle; we will rejoice and be glad in His salvation.”
Ditsa Or added: “Thank God, thank God. Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, His kindness endures forever. The uncertainty was unbearable during these two years, and suddenly we have some clarity about how this is happening and what it looks like. But the story won’t be over and the joy won’t be complete until everyone, everyone, comes home.”
The family released a written statement quoting from Psalms: “‘Give thanks to the Lord for His steadfast love and His wondrous deeds for mankind… Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He redeemed from the hand of the foe.’ We thank God for the great mercy of returning our beloved son alive, whole and healthy. Our Avinush is home! After two long years of waiting and struggle for his return, he is home! We will embrace him, celebrate this victory, and strengthen the hope among the people of Israel.”
They expressed deep gratitude to the IDF, “the heroic soldiers and the many wounded,” as well as to bereaved families, “without whom this would not have happened.” The family also thanked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, and U.S. President Donald Trump, “but above all, the people of Israel who stood behind us, prayed, fought, and stood by us through this difficult time.”
They concluded: “We chose hope, and we remain with hope. The people of Israel live and prevail.”
Argamani, who became one of the most recognized faces of the Oct. 7 attacks, was rescued by Israeli forces during Operation Arnon on June 8, 2024, after being held in Gaza for eight months. One of the most widely circulated videos from the day of the massacre shows her being forcibly separated from Or and taken away on a motorcycle by Hamas terrorists.
In March 2025, Or’s family received the first sign of life from him. Information shared with them at the time indicated he was being held in central Gaza under difficult conditions. “Until Avinatan returns, my heart is in captivity,” Argamani wrote in a social media post then.