Noa Argamani, who was rescued in a daring Israeli raid in central Gaza, named one of the most influential people of 2025 by TIME magazine for her efforts globally to raise awareness of the plight of the remaining captives.
By World Israel News Staff
Noa Argamani, an Israeli woman who was abducted by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023 from the Nova music festival in southern Israel, has been named as one of TIME magazine’s top 100 most influential people of 2025.
Argamani, 27, was taken hostage at the music festival in Re’im, scene of the worst of the October 7 massacres, along with her boyfriend, Avinatan Or.
Viral footage of the abduction shows Argamani being forced onto a motorcycle and driven off to the Gaza Strip as she begs her captors to let her go.
Doug Emhoff, husband of former Vice President Kamala Harris, penned the TIME nomination of Argamani, calling her a “symbol of the pain and trauma” which “Jews worldwide, myself included, continue to feel.”
In a daring daylight raid on June 8, 2024, IDF and Israeli police special forces rescued Argamani and three other Israeli hostages being held in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.
The rescue enabled Argamani to visit her mother, Liora Argamani, shortly before her Chinese-born mother passed away following a lengthy battle with brain cancer.
Following her return to Israel after 245 days in captivity, Argamani became a staunch advocate for the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza, including her boyfriend Avinatan Or, who is among the 59 captives still held in Gaza.
“Noa’s advocacy has illuminated Hamas’ extreme brutality, but more importantly, her bravery has embodied Jewish resilience and strength even in the worst moments,” Emhoff wrote.
Other prominent figures named to TIME’s top 100 list for 2025 include US President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance, Elon Musk, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr., and Syria’s interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa.
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