Father of girl taken to Gaza says he hopes Israelis and Palestinians can come together

When Yakov Argamani heard rockets and sirens on Saturday morning, he immediately went to his daughter Noa’s bedroom in their house in southern Israel’s Beersheba. She wasn’t there.

“I phoned her right away and there was no answer. Two and a half hours later, her boyfriend sent me a WhatsApp message that everything was OK and said they’ll be in touch later on,” Argamani told Middle East Eye. 

There was something in the way Noa’s boyfriend Aminatan responded that made him worry.

'They are suffering, too; they are being battered, too'

- Father of girl taken to Gaza

“I tried a third time to get in touch and at that point they didn’t answer. I told my wife I was going to the hospital.”

That morning, hundreds of Palestinian fighters had stormed into Israel from the Gaza Strip by land, air and sea, and thousands of rockets rained down overhead.

“I got a phone call from her friend, who said they saw her on a motorcycle being abducted in the direction of Gaza. It was shattering, but I didn’t believe it, I thought it was a mistake,” Argamani said.

“I hope we can come together, so that together we can think about what is best for us and also for them. They are suffering, too; they are being battered, too,” he added.

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