‘Romeo & Juliet’ hostages reunited: Noa Argamani embraces Avinatan Or after his release under cease-fire deal
Two years after their lives were torn apart, Noa Argamani and Avinatan Or have finally hugged each other again. The couple, seized together from the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023, reunited in Israel following Or’s release under a new cease-fire exchange. Argamani became known worldwide after video showed her pleading on the back of a motorcycle as she was taken into Gaza.
She was rescued in a high-risk Israeli special forces operation in June 2024. Since then, she has stood alongside other families of captives, speaking publicly and pushing for agreements to bring everyone home. Or remained in captivity until his release this week as part of a broader deal that also includes prisoner releases on both sides.
Their reunion was quiet and emotional—an embrace that lasted longer than most news clips can show. For their relatives and for many Israelis who followed their story, it felt like the end of a sentence that began on a chaotic morning in the desert.
Officials say Or was one of the last group of living hostages returned in the latest phase of the agreement. Each returnee underwent medical checks before meeting family members. Doctors and counselors emphasized that recovery will be a process, with attention to sleep, nutrition, and trauma care over the coming weeks.
Argamani’s rescue in 2024 and Or’s release in 2025 trace two very different paths through the same long ordeal. She spent months rebuilding her life under intense public attention. He spent nearly two years in captivity, largely out of sight except for rare proof-of-life references. Bringing those paths back together is a powerful moment for their families and for a public that learned their names on the worst day of the war.
The broader exchange deal, mediated with international help, has paused major operations and set out a phased process for returning hostages and remains while releasing Palestinian prisoners. The political details continue to shift, but Monday and Tuesday were about people, not policy: parents and partners finally holding their loved ones again.
Across Israel, videos and photos captured similar scenes—long hugs, trembling hands, tears of relief. In Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, crowds applauded as updates rolled across screens. At hospitals and bases, families formed small circles around loved ones, guarding them from noise and cameras while they took in the first minutes of freedom.
Support groups say that after the initial joy, many returnees may face anxiety, sleep disruption, or flashes of memory. Counseling and community programs are in place, and volunteers are helping with practical needs so families can focus on rest and routine.
For Argamani and Or, the moment doesn’t erase the last two years. But it does turn a page. Their first photos back together—simple, unposed, and full of relief—now stand alongside the terrifying images from October 2023. This time, the story is not about being torn apart, but about finding each other again.
This story will be updated as officials release additional confirmed details about the exchange and the condition of returnees.
