Israeli survivor urges U.N. action to free hostages; Israel says Gaza ‘end game’ must remove Hamas

Noelle Ghahmani, who said she was abducted from the Nova Music Festival and later rescued, told the United Nations Security Council that 63 people remain held by Hamas and appealed for immediate international action to secure their release.

“Nova from the Nova Music Festival with my partner, Avinatan O. I was taken I was taken hostage … After 8 months in captivity, I was rescued by the Israeli soldiers,” Ghahmani said in remarks recorded in the council transcript. “As we speak, there is still 63 hostages in the nightmare, including my partner, Vinatan Owa.”

Ghahmani said negotiators must complete the second phase of a release deal she described and that some hostages have sent signs of life. “In fact, we believe that there is 24 hostages that are still alive,” she said. “Our life cannot go on without them. The deal must go on in full, in completely, in all the stages.”

Israeli statements at the meeting framed the hostage issue within a broader security objective. The Israeli ambassador said the country will “not stop” pursuing the return of hostages and that the conflict’s “end game in Gaza would be without Hamas.” The ambassador added, “We will not accept the end of the conflict when Hamas is still in power in Gaza.”

When asked whether Israel’s military would resume operations if a cease-fire phase left Hamas in place, the ambassador said that resuming fighting was one option among others and referenced historical precedents for armed groups leaving territory as part of conflict resolution. “You saw the PLO boarding a vessel and, leaving to Tunisia back then,” the ambassador said, adding negotiators were pursuing multiple options for the future of Gaza.

Ambassador Stefano Vaccara asked whether Israel’s approach would allow senior Hamas members to leave Gaza as part of a release or peace deal. The Israeli ambassador said the country had targeted “the leadership of Hamas today, you know, starting from Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed, other, commanders of Hamas,” and that Israeli forces had taken action against those it identified as responsible for the Oct. 7 attacks, while negotiators continued talks.

The ambassador also criticized the Security Council’s record on a formal resolution about the Oct. 7 attacks, saying that since Oct. 7 the council “were not able to pass a resolution about the hostages, about the atrocity of October 7.” He thanked the U.S., U.K., France and Greece for joining the request to discuss the hostages.

There were no formal votes or council decisions recorded in the provided transcript excerpt. Speakers said negotiators were continuing talks and emphasized the need for the Security Council and international community to act to secure returns of those still held.

The council exchange combined personal testimony, specific counts of hostages and descriptions of negotiating stages with broader statements of Israeli policy toward Hamas. Participants differed on what measures might follow if a partial deal left Hamas operational in Gaza; Israel’s stated position in the remarks was that lasting resolution requires Hamas’s removal.

Looking ahead, speakers said negotiations would continue and called on the international community not to abandon efforts to recover the remaining hostages. The transcript did not record any new Security Council resolution or binding action during the excerpt provided.