Rescued hostage Noa Argamani says final farewell to beloved mother who battled brain cancer long enough to see her daughter one last time as she is laid to rest
Rescued hostage Noa Argamani has told how she was able to be with her terminally ill mother “against all odds” in her “last moments” before laying her to rest today.
The 26-year-old said she is “still trying to process everything that has happened” during an emotional farewell to Liora, 61, who died of brain cancer on Monday night.
Noa was rescued last month by Israeli army special forces just in time to see her mother as doctors tried to keep her alive.
Hundreds of people gathered to pay their last respects to Liora as she was buried at the New Cemetery in Be’er Sheva in southern Israel.
Noa’s father, Yaakov, 69, broke several times and was supported by Noa the entire time. They stood arm in arm, never leaving each other’s side, Noa’s face drawn in pain.
At the funeral, Noa paid tribute to her mother. “I stand here today, still trying to process everything that has happened lately,” she said.
Noa and her father at the funeral of Liora Argamani on Wednesday
Noa was led to a car by her rescuers before being pulled out of Gaza in a military helicopter and safely returned to a hospital in Ramat Gan.
Liora had stage four cancer and had begged Hamas to release Noa before she was rescued
Noa and her father attend the ceremony today in Be’er Sheva in southern Israel
“You fought like a lioness and never gave up on us. Now I understand that… Because Noa is home now, you realized that you don’t have to worry about me anymore,” Yaakov said
‘Against all odds, I was lucky enough to be with you in your final moments, to talk to you, to laugh with you, and to hear your last words.
‘Thank you for being strong and holding on all this time, so that I could at least see you one more time. So that daddy wouldn’t be alone.
“Thank you for being by my side every moment for 26 years. For as long as I can remember, you have been a role model to me, teaching me how to appreciate the little moments in life.
‘You have taken me on a journey around the world and shaped me into the strong person I am today.
“The tools you gave me as a little girl I couldn’t have gotten anywhere else. You taught me to be strong and independent. When things got tough, you pushed me forward…
“I promise you that I will continue on this path. I promise that I will take care of Dad and care for him, just as you have done for 31 years.
I promise I’ll be as strong as you were.
‘Mom, you will always be a part of me, no matter where I go or who I meet. Your serenity and calmness will always be with me.
“And like you always said to me when I was a little girl, I love you to the moon and back.”
Yaakov, whose daughter was rescued on his birthday last month, stood up to say a few words. Speaking through tears, he said, “Nothing prepares you for the loss of the person you love the most.
“I wanted you to stay with us so much. You fought like a lioness and never gave up on us. Now I understand that… Because Noa is home now, you realized that you didn’t have to worry about me anymore.
‘Thank you, my beloved Liora. Thank you for all your wise advice. Thank you for always being there for me, every step of the way. You have made me a better person.
‘You have all heard about my Liora, but it is important that I share with you what kind of person she was… Liora was a good, wise woman, an exemplary mother who raised our daughter Noa with values of honesty and love for humanity.
‘Liora always felt it was important to treat everyone with respect and appreciation. I thank God for the precious time she gave us to be by her side. For more than three decades together.
“My beloved Liora, wait for me when I arrive. We will be together forever.”
“After finally being reunited with her in June, Liora spent “her last days with her daughter Noa,” the hospital where she was being treated said in a statement announcing her death.
“Thank you so much, my beloved Liora. Thank you for all your wise advice. Thank you for always being there for me, every step of the way. You made me a better person,” Yaakov said today
Noa Argamani, then 25, was seen kidnapped on the back of a motorbike during the horrific October 7 attacks
Liora Argamani, Noa’s mother, had contacted US President Joe Biden and urged him to help save her daughter (photo in November 2023)
Noa was able to celebrate her father Yakov’s birthday after spending more than seven months in Hamas captivity
Liora’s Chinese sister also spoke out.
She said about her brother: ‘As her younger sister I admired her, she is beautiful, kind, smart and wise, independent and full of energy in her life and her profession.
‘She was extremely attentive and passionate about the needs of her daughter and her husband. She was also very attentive to her father and siblings in China.
“She was very much in keeping with Chinese traditions, both in China and in Israel. She had a wonderful, wonderful life. Myself, my mother, my eldest sister and younger brother wish Liora a wonderful life in heaven.”
The family then walked to the cemetery to bury Liora. They will now enter Shiva, the seven-day Jewish mourning period.