Terrorist who abducted Noa Argamani killed

IDF strike in central Gaza kills the terrorist who drove Noa Argamani into captivity on October 7.

By World Israel News Staff

A Palestinian terrorist involved in the abduction of two Israeli civilians from a music festival on October 7, 2023, was killed by the IDF over the weekend, according to multiple reports.

Palestinian reports identified the terrorist as Saher Nidal Sakr and said he was killed near Al-Nouri Tower in the Nuseirat refugee camp. At least one other person was reported wounded in the strike.

Israeli reports identified Sakr as the terrorist who drove the motorcycle on which Noa Argamani was forcibly taken into Gaza after Sakr and others separated her from her boyfriend, an abduction captured in footage that became one of the most widely recognized images of the Hamas-led attack.

There was no immediate public confirmation from the IDF or Shin Bet of either Sakr’s reported death or his identification as the motorcycle driver.

The strike comes as Israeli security forces continue a long-running campaign to locate and target terrorists who participated in the Oct. 7 attack, including those involved in murders and kidnappings and operatives Israeli authorities say later returned to activity within Hamas.

Argamani was attending the Nova festival near Kibbutz Re’im with her then-boyfriend, Avinatan Or, when terrorists overran the area.

Footage from their abduction showed Argamani being carried away on a motorcycle as she reached toward Or, who was being marched away separately by armed terrorists.

The two were taken into Gaza and held apart.

Argamani remained in captivity for eight months before Israeli forces rescued her on June 8, 2024, during a daylight raid in Nuseirat.

The operation, later named Operation Arnon, also freed Almog Meir Jan, Andrey Kozlov and Shlomi Ziv from a second location nearby. Israeli police counterterrorism officer Arnon Zmora was fatally wounded during the mission, which was subsequently named in his memory.

Or remained a hostage for more than another year.

He was ultimately released on Oct. 13, 2025, after 738 days in captivity and reunited with Argamani following more than two years of separation.

Israeli authorities had already announced the deaths of several other terrorists they said participated directly in the abduction of hostages from the Nova festival.

In October 2025, the IDF and Shin Bet revealed that eight terrorists who participated in the Oct. 7 attack had been killed in targeted strikes during the war.

Among them was Ahmad Ibrahim Rajab Sha’ar, whom the security agencies identified as responsible for the abduction of both Argamani and Or. He was killed in August 2025.

Another terrorist, Ahmad Abu Marhil, was identified as having participated in Or’s abduction and was killed several months earlier.

The earlier announcement underscores that multiple terrorists were involved in taking the couple from the festival and moving them toward Gaza.

Israeli security officials have said the campaign against Oct. 7 terrorists has continued even as the intensity and character of military operations in Gaza have changed.

“The list of terrorists is with us every day,” a Southern Command official said.

The effort combines intelligence collected during the war with information gathered from investigations into the attack, surveillance and subsequent operations inside Gaza.

Targets can remain under observation for extended periods while forces wait for circumstances considered suitable for a strike, according to Israeli officials.

“There is not a moment of attrition,” the Southern Command official said of the continuing effort.

Israeli security forces have described the campaign as serving two purposes: pursuing terrorists responsible for the Oct. 7 massacre and disrupting attempts by Hamas to rebuild its military capabilities.

The attack on Oct. 7 saw thousands of Hamas-led terrorists cross into southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people and abducting 251 hostages.

The Nova festival was among the hardest-hit sites. More than 360 people were killed there and dozens were abducted.

Argamani’s kidnapping became internationally known almost immediately because of the footage showing her being driven into Gaza.

Her eventual rescue in Nuseirat became one of the most high-profile Israeli hostage rescue operations of the war, while Or’s continued captivity made him one of the remaining symbols of the hostage crisis until his release in 2025.

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