Former hostage Arbel Yehud to Knesset: 'I survived in Holocaust conditions'

Former hostage Arbel Yehud addressed the Knesset on Monday morning, offering a harrowing account of her captivity and a heartfelt plea for the swift return of all remaining hostages, including her partner Ariel Cunio and his brother David.

“I am a proud Jew who survived the terrible captivity at the hands of terrorist organizations all alone, until I was returned to my family. I came to cry out the cries of the other hostages,” Yehud said in a trembling voice.

Describing her ordeal, Yehud recalled the constant fear and physical abuse she endured. “I was beaten. I was surviving in Holocaust conditions. I only survived because I kept the hope of returning to my family,” she told MKs. “This commitment accompanied me throughout my days in captivity.”

She recounted one particularly traumatic night in Rafah, when Israeli forces rescued hostages Luis Har and Fernando Merman. “I was held nearby. That night, I chose to say goodbye to my family because I felt it was my last day,” she said.

Yehud also described the inhumane treatment she received following the deaths of relatives of her captors. “On the day the families of the terrorists who guarded me were killed, I was treated inhumanely,” she testified.

In her concluding appeal, Yehud called on lawmakers to prioritize life and bring an end to the conflict. “I call on you – members of the government and members of the Knesset – to stop the war. We are not like them in relation to the value of life.”