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The Girl on the Motorbike | October 7: Israel's Day of Terror
2023-12-06 (#191)
In this documentary, we turn our attention to the events of October 7, when Hamas terrorists launched a surprise attack on Israel and infiltrated the country by air, land and sea. Perhaps most shocking of all was the attack on a rave festival in Southern Israel, near the Gaza border. None more so than the girl on the motorbike, Noa Argamani, captured by Hamas. Footage posted on social media showed terrified concert goers being dragged into vehicles and driven back into Gaza. At least 260 murdered victims were found at the venue after the attack. Israel's response was swift. War was declared. And Gaza was bombarded with airstrikes before Israeli troops entered with the aim of eradicating Hamas. But just over a week-and-a-half ago, Israel approved a deal allowing for the release of at least 50 hostages over a four-day ceasefire period, which was extended, but has now come to a dramatic end. Now, families in Israel - and across the world -are desperately awaiting the return of their loved ones, while others deal with the pain of finding out their family member has been killed, or still held hostage. The Israeli Embassy has flown some of those families out to Australia. 7NEWS Reporter Sarah Greenhalg has this report.
Video Transcription:
hello I'm Michael aser welcome to Spotlight
those story shortly first though we turn our
attention to the events of October 7 when
Hamas terrorists launched a surprise attack
on Israel and infiltrated the country by air
Land and Sea perhaps the most shocking of all
was the attack on a Rave Festival in southern
Israel near the Gaza border footage posted on
social media showed terrified concert goers
being dragged into vehicles and driven back
into Gaza at least 260 murdered victims were
found at the venue after the attack Israel's
response as we know was Swift war was declared
and Gaza was bombarded with air strikes before
Israeli troops entered with the aim of
eradicating Hamas but just over a week
and a half ago Israel approved a deal allowing
for the release of at least 50 hostages over a
4-day ceasefire period which was extended but
has now come to a dramatic end now families
in Israel and across the world are desperately
awaiting the return of their loved ones While
others deal with the pain of finding out their
family member has been killed or still held
hostage the Israeli Embassy has flown some of
those families out to Australia here's Sarah
[Music]
gr she told me that that there's dead bodies there
shootings she doesn't really
know what to do because they
see terrorists everywhere the
last message that I got from
her was 1037 a texting saying that she's
praying that someone will save [Music]
her
thank you both for doing this we really appreciate
it [Music] yeah I think very few people could
forget the image of Noah on the motorbike being
taken by terrorists what was your initial reaction
when you saw that I remember being at home
seeing this video my friend sent it to me
and told me if you think that's Noah I'm sorry
she's with Hamas like don't don't send me fake
videos I'm not sure who's this and cuz I wasn't
sure and I wasn't ready to be sure right and
then I saw the video that the it's obvious that
it's her and the hopelessness that you feel I I
know how she felt the hopelessness of not being
able to do something while you're being taken
is something uh I couldn't cope with I was angry
I was sad I was everything I don't know Mak some
emotions at first it was missiles everywhere
then you see terrorists with big propeller
they made like seats with big paraglides for
terrorists to to slide into Israel and to to
land in Israel from above the uh walls of Gaza
[Music] what would have been going through her
mind in that moment and her boyfriend's mind
he he he can't do anything to help her you
know Natan is a big guy I believe Noah that he
doesn't want to leave her but also there's a
lot of stuff going around there's people dying
and he saw people dying he saw people getting
shoot he doesn't want to die we never thought
something like that would be happen it's a
situation no one has ever encountered right I
don't think someone that watches this show or
any else show like on TV has ever been kidnapped
like it's it's something you can't even imagine
that's a terrified girl there's your friend
uh behind that face what has this done to her
family Noah's mother is not in a good state she
has brain cancer I don't know if you've seen uh
there's a video going around right now that she
talks and she really really doesn't have a lot of
[Music]
[Music]
time
the it's the wars not to know anything I was
afraid all the time that somebody will
call me and tell me that my son is a
body nobody got alive from this neighborhood
it's either dead or
kidnapped we have a four hours of messages and
filming and that started to be more and more
more and more severe and he he is letting
us know that there are terrorist inside his
kib boots inside the room shooting on the rooms
inside the room lighting the fire of inside the
house they light the gas the gas the cooking
gas and they light and everything was that's
what he wrote us that it's have fire inside the
house and they cannot breathe he afraid that he
will not survive he is telling us that he loves
us and if he will not survive this I love you I
love you but I don't know if I will sur survive
that please come to help me please send some
somebody please it's urgent please it's my last
moment like this this was the the words it's it's
it's a matter of moments I prayed that my son
is kidnapped because the other choice will be
[Music] dead
so how did you eventually find out that y was
in Gaza after one week H we got a telephone from
the army they found they located the telephone
they located it in Gaza so that was the first
proof of life but it was not true there are
also reading from the paper that it doesn't
mean anything that it doesn't mean he's alive
doesn't mean he's there just the telephone so
do they share with you how they know he's alive no
they're not sharing anything just telling you and
you are not asking also me we we know that they
cannot tell what they can tell they [Music] tell
and just few days ago we got another uh update
that is alive because you know things can happen
there some people come in alive and come back
dead so he is alive yet and he is well that's
what we know not also again not details but we
know that he is alive any so when was this update
Iris just two days ago I got it while you're in
Australia while I'm here what was that moment
like very good very happy H relief
a lot of very good feelings and
[Music]
happiness Rony was probably the first
one to see what's happening 6:30 were
the rocket barrage on their post also on
the entire country and immediately they saw
all the the people the the terrorists
the Hamas terrorists are just getting
in toward their base and ripping up the
defense and just storming in hundreds of
them Roni was called a communication or Lookout
her job was to look at uh the cameras and the
videos that are fitting in from the border she
was B 1 km inside uh of Israel on the Gaza border
and her job was just uh to sit and to watch any
activity Terror activity against uh Israel what
sort of contact did Ronnie have with her family
that morning the only communication that we had
with her was at 927 just I remember this exact
time she texted her mom not from her from from
her friends form mom don't worry for me I'm okay
I have no reception I have no self reception and
her mom says I love you and she replied again
don't worry for me I'm okay I love you too and
four uh Emoji hearts of red hearts that was
the last [Music] communication so we were a
little bit uh okay and then when we heard from
her we said okay we're relaxed for a few hours
but then we see the the thing is going on and
going on and not stopping we started to to get
really [Music] worried so five weeks in you
found out that Ronnie had died H how did she
die she we we believe that we know there was
a big fire at the end because they couldn't
break in and what we heard from the survivors
that they started to choke uh to suffocate from
uh the smoke it was very thick very dark so
what we believe is that they all suffocated
from smoke because the terrorists had set fire
to the command CER yes yes yes it was a terrible
fire and maybe this is the reason why it took
them five weeks to confirm uh Ron's [Music]
death Israel has said the goal
is to eradicate Hamas but in the
process innocent Palestinian are
being killed on a on a personal
level you say you're a father is that
difficult to watch do you grapple with
that yes but like I said my main I'm 100% focused
now on keeping my children uh safe it was a
massacre a Slaughter it was a genocide plain and
[Applause] simple I never thought to will happen
such a thing I thought okay there sometimes they
throw bombs and okay we can deal with them but
after seven for me first of all I need to be
secure in my my home I need security and I'm
sure that every country in the world um will think
the same if they have that threat this is a really
situation I you just stand by and give them a
what did you make of the pro Palestinian activists
who stormed your hotel this week what happened
on Wednesday was you know so wrong on so many
levels because first if you have a problem with my
government and my government policy you you know
you need to protest with against my government
there is a place to that but going after families
who lost their dear ones the loved ones going
after families who they're uh sons and brothers
and friends are still in captivity under unknown
conditions that's in my view is completely off
limits you were flown here by the government it's
a video of her getting kidnapped some people might
consider this part of a wider PR campaign or
propaganda for Military Support what would you
say to those people we met with diplomats we met
with politicians we met with Parliament people
prime minister but the thing is that in every
meet every one of these meetings not talking about
politics there's no politics in in these meetings
there's in these conversations it's all about the
stories what's it been like seeing other reunions
this week and still waiting for your friend for
me personally I understood she wasn't going to
be released because they said the categories
for mothers and uh kids under 18 she's not a
mother or a kid and that means for me she's
not getting uh free but still I could never be
happy here when when uh Mika's brother uh Rel
was released I just got a message that my brother
Amani got released from Gaza and I'm beyond happy
I can't even explain my feelings I'm currently
in Australia in a delegation from Israel and
I'm going to take a flight right now back home
to see him and meet him again after almost I
was really happy for them but in the same time
you're still wondering like like will it ever
be my time like her time will she ever come out
and do you feel like time is running out well
of course not just for the war but the M like
you know they have to be reunited they have
to
[Music]
we cannot imagine cannot believe
that my son is there and going
through that do you imagine what the
day will be like when you do see your
time yes I imagine I see him coming I see him
going off out out of the like ambulance and
meeting with us the family we are really waiting
for him and we really see that day it can happen
tomorrow can happen two days from now we said
maybe in kanuka kanuka is the miracle holiday
of isra of Jewish people you know hanuka is the
the little little little oil was enough for eight
days of candles so we called it holiday of
Miracles so maybe this holiday will be the
Miracle on Friday word came through Israel had
ended the ceasefire an hour before it was due
to expire despite hopes it would be extended
Israel accused Hamas of violating the terms
of the agreement by not releasing all of the
female hostages and launching Rockets Hamas
claims Israel refused to accept all offers to
release the other hostages now the fighting
is continuing hundreds more are dead and
the families we've spoken to tonight will
have to wait even longer to be reunited with
their loved ones seeven news of course will
keep you across all developments in Israel and
Gaza has this deadly conflict sadly continues
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