Arbel Yehoud, who spent over a year in captivity after being kidnapped on October 7, delivered an emotional address to Knesset members on Monday, sharing harrowing details of her ordeal and pleading with the government to end its military campaign in Gaza in order to secure the release of the 58 hostages still being held there.
“You should know that when relatives of my captors were injured by IDF actions, I was badly beaten and thrown into solitary confinement for long days without food fit for human consumption and hygiene conditions comparable to concentration camps during the Holocaust,” she said in a special joint session of the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee and the National Security Committee.
Yehoud described her overwhelming fear during intense Israeli bombardments in Gaza. She recalled the moment on February 12, 2024, during an IDF operation that rescued Luis Herr and Fernando Merman, when she believed her life was about to end. “I chose to say goodbye to [my] family,” she said, believing she wouldn’t survive the night.
Previous statements from Yehoud and other former hostages described how their captors warned them they would be shot if they suspected IDF forces were nearby.
At 29 years old, Yehoud endured 482 days in the hands of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad before being freed in a hostage deal on January 30, alongside 80-year-old Gadi Mozes, in Khan Younis.
That agreement led to the release of 33 hostages, including women, children, and elderly civilians, described as “humanitarian cases,” in exchange for approximately 1,900 Palestinian prisoners. Among those released were more than 270 serving life sentences for killing Israelis.
She credited her will to survive to the thought of reuniting with her family, especially her late brother Dolev’s children. Dolev was killed on October 7 in the attack on Nir Oz, and Yehoud only learned of his death while she was held captive. “Even in moments of despair, when I was humiliated and suffered from psychological terror and attempts to break my spirit, I did not break,” she said with emotion.
Yehoud then turned her anguish toward the Israeli leadership, accusing them of neglecting those still held hostage. “Does it make sense to you that I’m the one who needs to be here to shout for the freedom of my beloved Ariel, his brother David, and the rest of the hostages?” she asked pointedly.
Her partner, Ariel Cunio, and his brother David are still in captivity. David’s wife, Sharon, and their 3-year-old twins, Yuli and Emma, were also kidnapped but were freed in a previous agreement in November 2023.
“When I was there, I thought that my family and the Israeli government would work for my release as their one and only supreme goal,” Yehoud continued. “I was right about my family, but not about the government, which still chooses today — 591 days after the war began — to continue a military path that endangers the lives of the hostages.”
Last Friday, the IDF announced the launch of “Gideon’s Chariots,” a large-scale operation targeting key positions within Gaza. Since then, Hamas-run authorities have reported significant casualties from sustained Israeli airstrikes.
While military action intensifies, negotiations have resumed in Qatar between Israel and Hamas, seeking to reach a deal that would bring home the remaining hostages.
Yehoud made a direct appeal to Israeli leadership to pursue a diplomatic resolution. “I demand that you, ministers of the government and members of Knesset, act to stop the fighting and bring [the hostages] back to us,” she said. “As someone who was there, I know negotiations are the only way.”
She added that the emotional and psychological recovery of the freed hostages hinges on the safe return of those still in captivity. “Physically, we are here, but mentally we are still in captivity,” she said.
“Look at me and see who you are abandoning and who you have chosen to sacrifice as a solution to the Gaza problem. There are 58 other Israeli citizens like me who aren’t just suffering but are also dying,” Yehoud implored. “Your hands will be covered in their blood and the blood of soldiers if you do not stop this war.”
She concluded by urging Israelis from all walks of life to protest until their government prioritizes the hostages’ return. “To you, citizens of the nation: I call on each and every one of you to take to the streets and bring life to a halt across the country until all the hostages are returned.”
Yehoud was seized during the Hamas-led massacre at Kibbutz Nir Oz, where around a quarter of its residents were either murdered or abducted.
{Matzav.com}