Who is Arbel Yehud, held hostage in Gaza for 15 months?

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.