Welcome to New York, Miss Israel.
A beauty queen who has been serving on the front lines of the Israel-Hamas war since the Oct. 7 massacre was assaulted during a pro-Hamas protest in Times Square, The Post has learned.
Noa Cochva, who was crowned Miss Israel in 2021, was smashed in the face with the butt of a protest placard during the March 30 rally, video showed.
Cochva, 25, had been in the Big Apple for several weeks speaking and doing advocacy work for Israel and was in Times Square that day with fellow Israel advocates — who had come to demonstrate as well.
“We just saw a huge pro-Palestinian rally, and we wanted to go and do our own thing . . . And then they recognized us when they saw our flag and they threw down our flag . . . and they came down and one of the guys hit me.
“I had a black eye, I have never had a black eye before,” she said.
Cochva, who is a combat medic in her homeland, received treatment in an ambulance after the assault.
Police on the scene told the beauty queen “we can’t do anything,” she said.
“I feel like if you’re a police officer, and you see a woman get hit in the face, you should probably find the guy because that’s your job.”
After first letting the issue go, she decided to press charges on April 10.
After initially saying it had no report on file, the NYPD eventually confirmed the details of the incident to The Post, adding that there had been no arrests and the investigation was “ongoing.”
Cochva competed in the Miss Universe pageant in 2021, which was held in Eilat, Israel.
When she’s not cutting ribbons and waving to fans, she’s on the front lines — serving just outside Gaza treating wounded soldiers.
Before the Oct. 7 massacre of Israeli civilians, Cochva, who was trained as a medic during her mandatory military service when she turned 18, had been studying to become a pastry chef.
She claims to have treated dozens of IDF soldiers since the war began.
“When you’re talking with soldiers . . . there’s stages that you have to go through to help them to come back to life because their mind is still in Gaza,” she said.
She’s also treated Hamas terrorists.
“As a combat medic, you take an oath to swear to save every person’s life, no matter if he’s an enemy or a loved one,” she said.
Her service has seen some bright moments too — which sometimes come when wounded soldiers, high on painkillers, realize they are being treated by a certified beauty queen.
“We have a lot of funny comments,” Cochva said recalling one soldier in particular.
“I was treating him. I remember after opening his eyes, he was like, ‘Did I die and go to heaven? Because you’re an angel.’”
Cochva urged Americans not to be taken in by Hamas propaganda often published in sympathetic American media outlets.
“There’s so many things that I’m hearing about people saying there wasn’t any rape … people saying there is no proof,” Cochva said.
“I don’t understand how in 2024 after the ‘MeToo’ movement that people can actually say that they don’t believe women.”
