Arbel Yehoud | |
|---|---|
 Yehoud (center) meetingU.S. Secretary of CommerceHoward Lutnick alongsideAriel Cunio (right) and Cunio's brotherDavid Cunio. | |
| Born | (1995-06-21)June 21, 1995 (age 30) Israel |
Arbel Yehoud is an Israeli woman who was abducted in 2023 during theOctober 7 attacks as part of theNir Oz Attack by thePalestinian Islamic Jihad. She was released on January 30, 2025, after 482 days in captivity. She was the last living female Israeli hostage released.
Arbel Yehoud was born on June 21, 1995.[1] She was a third-generation resident of Kibbutz Nir Oz, with her grandparents being among its founders.[2][3] She was a professional dancer for many years.[4] She originally worked in her kibbutz's education system before she began working as a guide at GrooveTech.[5][2] She began datingAriel Cunio five years before their abduction, and the pair returned from a vacation to South America shortly before October 7.[5]
On October 7, 2023, Yehoud was abducted from her home in KibbutzNir Oz alongside her boyfriend, Ariel Cunio.[6] The couple's recently adopted dog, Murph, was killed in the attack.[3] Yehoud and Cunio were separated while entering Gaza.[7] Separate from their abduction, Cunio's brother,David Cunio, sister-in-law,Sharon Cunio, and two nieces,Emma andYuli Cunio, were also taken hostage by Hamas.[8] Yehoud's brother, Dolev Yehoud, was also initially believed to be taken hostage, until his remains were identified in June 2024.[9]
Yehoud was held in the captivity by thePalestinian Islamic Jihad.[6] She was held alone and barefoot for the entirety of her captivity.[10][7] Throughout her captivity, she was held in several different homes and was reported to have been held in difficult conditions, been fed little food, and to have been suffering from malnutrition.[7] Early on in Yehoud's captivity, her and Cunio were able to maintain a correspondence through intermediaries, but this correspondence was terminated after several months.[11] Yehoud learned Arabic early on in her captivity and thought thatinternational divisions in Israel over a hostage deal was psychological terrorism from her captors.[12] During the2024 Rafah hostage raid, Yehoud, who was held in an area close to the raid, was held at gunpoint by her captors.[6] Yehoud reported that when relatives of her captors were wounded by the Israeli military, she was severely beaten and placed in solitary confinement for several days.[13] Towards the end of Yehoud's captivity, she became aware of the magnitude ofhostage crisis after her captors permitted her to watchAl Jazeera.[14] In a February 2026 interview, Yehoud said she was sexually abused throughout her captivity and had attempted suicide on three occasions.[11][15]
Under the terms of theJanuary 2025 Gaza war ceasefire, Yehoud was expected to be released on either January 19 or 25.[2] After the release ofEmily Damari,Romi Gonen, andDoron Steinbrecher on January 19, Israel toldHamas of its expectation for Yehoud to be among the four hostages released on January 25.[16] However, after Yehoud was not among the four hostage released on January 25, Israel postponed allowing Palestinians to return north through theNetzarim Corridor.[17] This event was considered by many news outlets to be the first significant crisis of the ceasefire.[17][18] This postponement was removed after a deal was reached for Yehoud,Agam Berger, and a third hostage to be released on January 30, allowing tens of thousands of Palestinians to return north.[19][20] On January 27, the PIJ released a video of Yehoud in captivity.[21]
On January 30, 2025, Yehoud was released inKhan Younis alongside hostagesGadi Moses,Surasak Lamnau,Sathian Suwannakham,Pongsak Tanna,Bannawat Saethao, andWatchara Sriaoun.[22] Yehoud was the last living female hostage released from Gaza, as the other remaining female hostage,Agam Berger, had been released earlier in the day.[22] Their release took place at the ruins of the house of formerHamas leaderYahya Sinwar, and the hostages were marched through a crowd of thousands before being handed over to theRed Cross.[22] As a result, Israel delayed the release of 110Palestinian detainees until guarantees were made that such a release ceremony would not be held again.[22]
Upon her release, Yehoud was taken toSheba Hospital inRamat Gan.[23] In March 2025, Yehoud received her German citizenship, which her family had obtained for her during her captivity.[24] In April 2025, Yehoud was interviewed onChannel 13 byLucy Aharish.[25] In May 2025, one of Yehoud's abductors and captors, Ahmad Kamel Saran, was killed in anIDF operation.[26] In May 2025, Yehoud addressed theKnesset, encouraging members of the government to endthe war.[13] In July 2025, Yehoud declined to attendIsraeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu's visit to Kibbutz Nir Oz.[14] Yehoud gave a speech atKennedy Center on the two year anniversary of October 7, calling for world leaders to bring home the remaining hostages.[27]
Ariel Cunio was released on October 13, 2025 as part of theGaza peace plan.[28] Cunio and Yehoud, along with Cunio's brother David Cunio, sister-in-law, Sharon Cunio, and nieces Emma and Yuli Cunio, were among the 26 hostages who met with PresidentDonald Trump at theWhite House in November 2025.[29]
In December 2025, Yehoud was one of the 18 recipients ofChochmat Nashim's Women of Iron Award.[30]
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