Liora, mother of rescued hostage Noa Argamani, passes away after battle with cancer

'Liora spent her last days with her daughter Noa, who returned from captivity'

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Liora Argamani, mother of Israeli hostage Noa Argamani, who was rescued from captivity in Gaza last month, passed away after a lengthy battle with brain cancer, Ichilov Medical Center announced Monday evening.

Liora and her husband Yaakov led a desperate struggle to raise awareness of the plight of their daughter and the other Israeli hostages, hoping that Liora would see Noa one last time before she passed away from terminal brain cancer.

When Israeli special forces reached Noa on June 8, one of the first things she asked them was if her mother was still alive. “That’s why we came, to take you back to your mother,” one of the soldiers confirmed.

“The Tel Aviv Ichilov Medical Center sadly announces the passing of Liora Argamani after a long battle with cancer. The late Liora spent her last days with her daughter Noa, who returned from captivity, and her close family,” the hospital stated.

“We convey the family’s request to respect their privacy during these difficult times. We share in the Argamani family’s grief. May her memory be a blessing.”

Amnon Regev, a relative of the Argamani family, told Radio 103 FM on Tuesday that despite her weakened state, Liora understood Noa’s return. “There is both sadness and room for joy,” he said.

“I was there, even when I arrived and when she opened her eye a little, there was great joy. She knew, and this is what she was really looking forward to,” Regev added.

Liora Argamani was born in the Chinese city of Wuhan as Ching Hong Li and came to study in Israel in 1994, where she met her husband, Yaakov.

As she struggled against terminal brain cancer, her daughter Noa was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists when they invaded Israel's southern border and overran the Nova Music Festival near Kibbutz Re’im on Oct. 7.

Noa became one of the most recognized faces among the hostages after a video on social media showed her being separated from her boyfriend, Avinatan Or, and abducted by terrorists on a motorcycle.

Throughout the eight months of captivity, the Chinese government refused to deal with Noa’s case despite repeated pleas from Israeli officials on her behalf.

A Chinese official stated that Noa was "only half Chinese" and "lacked Chinese blood," using this rationale to refuse assistance.

Liora also made several pleas to Hamas and international organizations to release her daughter so she could see her again before she died.

In December, Liora even pleaded with U.S. President Joe Biden to help rescue Noa.

In her first public appearance since her rescue last Saturday, Noa released a video thanking the IDF and issuing a call to remember the hostages still being held captive in Gaza.

“As the only child of my parents, as the daughter of a mother with a terminal illness, the thing that preoccupied me the most during my captivity was my worry for my parents,” she said in the video message.

“It’s a great privilege to be here after 246 days in Hamas captivity. It’s a great privilege to be by my mother’s side after eight months of uncertainty.”