Noa Argamani

THREE YEARS.

Three years since the moment my life changed forever. Even now, it feels so unreal that sometimes I still can’t fully comprehend that I was kidnapped and taken to Gaza. Sometimes it feels like it was all just a nightmare I somehow woke up from.

But at the same time, the pain is always here.
It never really leaves, and sometimes, it only gets stronger.

This year, when I went to visit the graves of my friends, I felt like it had somehow become even harder.

Maybe because the hostages are finally home.
Maybe because I’m no longer part of that fight.
Or maybe because everyone else has already graduated, moved to Tel Aviv, and started their careers.

And you remain there, like a memory from another life. A life that was innocent, young, and happy. A group of friends simply enjoying life, dreaming big, with no idea how quickly everything could change.

I miss you every single day.

With every step I take, on every path I choose, I find myself wondering what it would be like if you were still here beside me.

As more time passes, I realize that soon, more time will have passed since we lost you than the amount of time I actually had the chance to know you. And that is something I still can’t accept.

To me, you are always with me.

And for those of us who have lost someone we love, it isn’t easy to watch the world keep moving when some people’s lives simply stopped.

It isn’t easy to live with the guilt of being the ones who are still here. But we have to keep going, because that is what they would have wanted for us.

We have to learn to live alongside the pain.

Embrace it.
Forgive it.
Understand it.

But at the same time, keep looking forward.
Give yourself permission to

LIVE.

כמעט 50 שנים מפרידות בין מבצע יונתן למבצע ארנון, אבל זה רק הזמן.

הטכנולוגיה השתנתה, שיטות הפעולה השתנו, אבל הערך נשאר אותו ערך, האחריות ההדדית. הידיעה שמדינת ישראל לא מוותרת על האנשים שלה, גם כשהמשימה נראית כמעט בלתי אפשרית.

במשך 246 יום ספרתי כל יום, כל דקה וכל שניה לרגע שבו אוכל לחזור הביתה ולהתאחד עם משפחתי. ״נועה, באנו לקחת אותך הביתה״ זה משפט שתמיד יהיה חרוט אצלי הזיכרון, רגע שבו ראיתי אור לראשונה אחרי תקופה ארוכה של חושך.

הכוח הגדול ביותר של צה”ל ושל מדינת ישראל הוא לא רק היכולת לנצח אויבים, אלא המחויבות הבלתי מתפשרת להחזיר את האנשים שלה הביתה.

זו המורשת שמחברת בין אנטבה למבצע ארנון, ואני מקווה שהיא גם תהיה המורשת שתמשיך להוביל את הדורות הבאים.

ההחלטות הכי קשות הן גם אלה שמגדירות מי אנחנו כעם.

Nearly fifty years separate Operation Entebbe from Operation Arnon. But time is all that separates them.

The technology has changed, the tactics have evolved, but the core value has remained exactly the same, our responsibility to one another. The belief that the State of Israel does not abandon its people, even when the mission seems almost impossible.

For 246 days I counted every single day, every hour, every minute and every second until the moment I could finally return home and be reunited with my family. The words “Noa, we’ve come to take you home” will stay with me forever. They marked the moment I saw light for the first time after such a long period of darkness.

The greatest strength of the IDF and the State of Israel is not only the ability to defeat its enemies, but its unwavering commitment to bringing its people home.

That is the legacy that connects Entebbe and Operation Arnon, and I hope it is the legacy that will continue to guide future generations.

The hardest decisions are often the ones that define who we are as a people.

קרדיט: מעיין טואף/ לע״מ

Last year, I arrived at @MilkenInstitute Global Conference carrying one clear mission: to help bring everyone home.

In a room filled beyond capacity, I shared my story, spoke about the friends we lost, and emphasized the urgent need to bring every hostage back home.

Today, returning to Milken feels deeply meaningful. After a long journey of pain, resilience, and hope, everyone is finally home. Alongside that collective moment of return, I am also beginning a new chapter in my own life, one focused on rebuilding, growth, and looking forward, including stepping into the worlds of technology, innovation, and venture capital.

I’m grateful to be here not only to reflect on the past, but also to think about the future, about leadership, technology, AI, humanity, and the responsibility we all share to create a better world from even the darkest moments. I’m excited for what’s ahead and look forward to sharing more soon.

From the lowest place, we rise.

The clock has stopped. The last hostage, the hero Ran Gvili z”l, is home, and history has been made after 843 days.

Throughout the entire time I was in captivity, we counted every single day.
In a place so dark, with no information, lies piled upon lies, and an endless wait to come home, we always told ourselves that we knew nothing, but there was one thing we did know - the number of days we had been held captive.

We found comfort in the thought that every day that passed was one day closer to our release.

And now, finally, we can stop counting.

The moment we waited for for so long has arrived. Everyone in this country, and people around the world, prayed for this moment.

It is incredible to me to see how everyone, truly everyone, saw, felt, and carried the pain of the hostages and their families as if they were their own brothers and sisters. People set an empty chair at Friday night dinners and on holidays, as if we were part of their family. It is incredible to see that no one gave up. Not even for a moment.

This shows us the power we have when we are united around a single goal.

Thank you to all the security forces who, for so long, risked their lives and gave everything of themselves, day after day. Thank you for not giving up. We are here because of you.

After more than 11 years in which there were hostages in Gaza, only now, finally, can an entire country begin its healing.

Be patient with one another. We have all been through hell. This is not a slogan - it is a real effort required from each of us to seek out what unites us, not what divides us.

We will always remember all those murdered in this horrific massacre,
the hostages who were murdered in captivity in cold blood, and the soldiers who gave their lives to protect our country.

We will always remember that behind every angel taken from us, there is a family that needs support and needs to be seen.

And alongside them, we remember the families of the hostages who went through hell, and who are only now truly able to begin their own healing process.

Make sure that we never forget October 7th. That we will grow from our grief and become stronger. Together.

Somewhere in early 2022, Avinatan started his first job with @nvidia, a decision that would later prove to be one of the best he ever made in his life.

Throughout the entire two years that Avinatan was held captive, @nvidia was much more than just a workplace; it was one big family. The immense support the company gave Avinatan and his family was extraordinary. People who had never even met him held signs with his picture every single day, every meeting began with a mention of him and a call for his return, and they even kept his desk corner untouched until the day he came back.

Everyone—absolutely everyone—stepped up and helped: teammates, his direct manager, employees at the Israel site, and senior executives. All of this was done in full coordination and with direct support from the company’s CEO, Jensen Huang, who personally accompanied the family and called repeatedly to ask how they were doing.

@nvidia never forgot Avinatan, who had only worked there for a year and a half before he was kidnapped.

Seeing how the company stood by him the entire time shows us what true mutual responsibility really means—how even in days of success and prosperity, they stood by their employee, and fought alongside us.

Thank you!!