Watan-Arbel Yahiel Yehud is an Israeli born in 1995 in Kibbutz Nir Oz. She worked as a space and astronomy guide at the “GroTech” technology complex, and according to the Islamic Jihad Movement, she was a soldier in the Israeli occupation army. She was captured by Palestinian resistance during the Al-Aqsa Flood operation on October 7, 2023.
Early Life and Professional Background
Arbel Yahiel Yehud was born in June 1995 in Kibbutz Nir Oz. She had two siblings, Nita and Dolev, the latter of whom was killed in the October 7, 2023, attack on settlements surrounding Gaza.
Her grandparents established the kibbutz, a cooperative settlement where a group of Israeli settlers live and work together, primarily in agriculture.
Her father later moved to the Israeli city of Rishon LeZion. As an adult, Arbel traveled to South America with her partner, Ariel Kono, whom she had known since childhood. The couple eventually returned to Israel.
Arbel began working as a space and astronomy guide at the “GroTech” technology complex under the Eshkol Regional Council. She continued in this role until her capture during the Al-Aqsa Flood operation.
According to a senior official from the Islamic Jihad Movement, Yahiel Yehud was a trained soldier in the space program of the Israeli occupation army.
Capture
Arbel Yehud was captured on October 7, 2023, from a fortified room in her home in Kibbutz Nir Oz. Her partner was captured alongside her.
Hamas also captured her partner’s brother, David Kono, his wife, Sharon Ayaloni Kono, and their twin daughters, who were later released under a truce agreement reached in November 2023.
The family initially believed that Arbel’s brother was also captured, but the “Eitan Unit” (responsible for locating missing persons) later found his body within the settlement.
Released prisoners held by Hamas confirmed that Arbel was alive. Hamas and Israel agreed to her release, along with other Israeli female soldiers, in exchange for Palestinian prisoners as part of a ceasefire agreement signed on January 15, 2025.
However, Arbel was not among those freed in the first phase of the prisoner exchange. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office stated that Israel would not allow Gaza residents to return to northern areas until arrangements were made for her release.
Conversely, a senior Hamas source in Gaza told Al Jazeera that the resistance informed mediators that Arbel was alive and would be released on Saturday, February 1, 2025.
An Islamic Jihad official confirmed to Al Jazeera that Arbel Yehud remains in custody with Saraya al-Quds (the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad) as a soldier and trained member of the Israeli army’s space program. The movement added that her release would be part of the agreed prisoner exchange and held the Israeli government accountable for any disruptions to the agreement.
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