Separated for over 480 days after being kidnapped during the October 7 attacks, Ariel and Arbel’s emotional reunion is a powerful story of unbreakable love and resilience.

The post WATCH: Ariel and Arbel’s miraculous reunion after two years in captivity appeared first on World Israel News.

Arbel Yehud, a freed hostage, relives the trauma of October 7th with every explosion, pleading to end the nightmare and bring the remaining captives—like her beloved Ariel—home.


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The stage where the IDF observer was taken to be displayed was decorated with pictures of the terrorists’ supposed victory over various IDF divisions.

By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News

The separate release Thursday morning of IDF observer Agam Berger was carefully staged for propaganda purposes by Gazan terrorists, according to a report in The Jerusalem Post following the event.

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) took Berger to Jabalya to be turned over to the Red Cross, a city that has been the site of months of fighting over several rounds during the course of the war between the IDF and the terrorists.

The terrorist group specifically wanted to declare victory over the IDF at that location, analyst Seth Frantzman wrote, and decorated the stage where it displayed Berger accordingly.

Printed in English and Arabic on a huge poster that formed the backdrop of the stage were slogans such as “Gaza is the graveyard of the criminal Zionists,” “Palestine – The victory of the oppressed people vs the Nazi Zionists,” and “The Palestinians fighters of freedom will always be the victories [sic].”

The bunting in front contained childish approximations of the logos of various IDF divisions and brigades that had fought in Gaza in general and Jabalya in particular, with images of defeat skewering them.

Thus, the Givati symbol of a red fox and a sword was turned into a running animal with a sword stabbing it through the back and the caption “Jabalya is the grave of Givati.”

While the IDF did suffer a few dozen losses in Jabalya, thousands of terrorists were killed and captured in the fighting there.

The image labeled “Kfir,” another infantry division, had a sword buried in the helmet worn by a skull, while yellow, blue, and red lines that form part of the Nachal symbol were shown being scythed in half by a sickle named Beit Hanoun, as if that brigade’s soldiers were defeated in that town, which is the opposite of what really happened there.

The terrorists also misspelled each one of these divisions’ names.

Berger was led onto the stage by dozens of uniformed, masked terrorists wearing green headbands who had given her some kind of certificate of release to hold, exactly like the female hostages released by Hamas last week.

Black-clad terrorists holding long guns stood on stage; some filmed the proceedings, in which Berger was made to smile for the cameras and an audience of Gazans that was kept at a distance before a stylized handover was enacted and she was whisked away by Red Cross vehicles and transported to safety in Israel.

The two other Israeli hostages released on Thursday, Gadi Mozes and Arbel Yehoud, and the five Thai hostages had a seemingly much more frightening time before their release.

Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and Hamas jointly took them to Khan Younis to be freed close to the destroyed home of assassinated Hamas head Yahya Sinwar.

Arab media showed Yehoud completely surrounded by helmeted terrorists. She was literally pushing through a huge shouting and jeering mob in order to get to a Red Cross car.

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Yehud is thought to be the last surviving Israeli female civilian hostage in Gaza.

By World Israel News Staff

Israeli hostage Arbel Yehud, who was kidnapped from the Gaza-adjacent Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, 2023, was released on Thursday.

She was 28 years old when abducted from her home, alongside her boyfriend, Ariel Cunio, who will remain in Gaza until the next phase of the hostage deal.

Yehud’s brother, Dolev, was initially believed to have been kidnapped as well. In June 2024, some eight months after the massacre, his remains were discovered in the kibbutz.

Yehud was slated to be freed last Saturday, alongside three female soldiers, in line with the order of releases outlined in the Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement.

However, less than 24 hours before the exchange was set to take place, the Hamas terror group informed Israel that it would release an additional female soldier rather than Yehud.

This change was significant due to the fact that it marked a clear violation of the ceasefire.

At the time, Hamas claimed that the delay in Yehud’s release was due to a dispute with Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), the terror group that abducted her and held her captive for more than 15 months.

PIJ claimed that because Yehud allegedly underwent training as part of Israel’s space program, she should be categorized as a soldier, not a civilian. This would force Israel to release a larger number of terrorists from prison in order to secure her return.

After Israel exerted pressure on Hamas by refusing to allow displaced Gazans to return to their homes in the north of the Strip until Yehud was scheduled for release, the terror group agreed to arrange her release five days later than originally anticipated.

Yehud is thought to be the last surviving Israeli female civilian hostage in Gaza.

One other civilian woman, Shiri Bibas, who was kidnapped with her toddler and infant sons, is still held captive. Israel has expressed “grave concerns” regarding the fate of the Bibas family.

The post Who is Arbel Yehud, held hostage in Gaza for 15 months? appeared first on World Israel News.

An Israeli diplomatic source verified that Hamas had provided details about the hostages included in the first phase of the deal, including who is alive and who is deceased.

By World Israel News Staff

Hamas is set to release three hostages—Arbel Yehoud, Agam Berger, and one male—on Thursday, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) confirmed following an announcement by Qatar’s Foreign Ministry on Sunday.

The Qatari ministry also noted that Hamas plans to release three more hostages on Saturday as part of the ongoing ceasefire agreement.

According to the PMO, mediators have received the full list of hostages slated for release during the initial phase of the agreement.

Israel was initially expected to receive the list last week. In exchange, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry announced that Israel would permit displaced Palestinians to return to northern Gaza starting Monday morning.

Discussions surrounding the timing of Yehoud’s release had been central to negotiations about allowing Gaza residents to return to the northern Strip via the Netzarim Corridor. Negotiators had debated whether to permit the return of residents immediately after Arbel’s release or upon the agreement for her release.

Sources from the negotiations told Israel’s public broadcaster KAN that Palestinian Islamic Jihad dropped its demand to label Yehoud as a member of the security forces, agreeing instead to recognize her as a civilian.

Arab media reports indicated that Yehoud could be released as early as Tuesday or Wednesday.

Qatar previously announced that Yehoud and two others would be released before Friday, linked to Israel’s decision to open the Netzarim Corridor.

However, earlier reports revealed complications when Islamic Jihad’s leader, Ziyad al-Nakhaleh, objected to Yehoud’s release without a higher price—such as the release of prisoners serving life sentences—due to claims about her security background.

An Israeli diplomatic source verified that Hamas had provided details about the hostages included in the first phase of the deal, including who is alive and who is deceased.

The prime minister emphasized Israel’s commitment to securing the return of all hostages and maintaining the ceasefire agreement’s terms.

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