Freed hostage Arbel Yehoud receives German citizenship
"After 482 days as a hostage in Gaza, Arbel Yehoud was finally able to claim her citizenship. She, her parents, and her sister-in-law Sigal all feel like family to us."
Freed hostage Arbel Yehoud received German citizenship, German Ambassador to Israel Steffen Seibert announced on Thursday.
"After 482 days as a hostage in Gaza, Arbel Yehoud was finally able to claim her citizenship. She, her parents, and her sister-in-law Sigal all feel like family to us," Seibert said in a post on X/Twitter.
After 482 days as a hostage in Gaza Arbel Yehoud was finally able to claim her citizenship. She, her parents, her sister-in-law Sigal all feel like family to us. Her murdered brother Dolev remains in our hearts and we will keep working for her boyfriend Ariel to be released. pic.twitter.com/Xe3TgDIvX1
— Steffen Seibert (@GerAmbTLV) March 27, 2025
"Her murdered brother Dolev remains in our hearts, and we will keep working for her boyfriend Ariel to be released."
Yehoud was released during phase one of the currently paused hostage deal between Israel and Hamas on January 18. She was released alongside Gadi Moses and on the same day as Agam Berger.
At the time of her release, Yehoud was surrounded by a crowd of Gazans screaming at her and attempting to hit her, and she had to be escorted by Hamas and PIJ terrorists to the ICRC vehicle, where she was finally evacuated out of Gaza.
Arbel's return home
Once released, her family said, “Our life’s mission to bring Arbel back to us has succeeded, and we are overwhelmed with emotion."
A professional dancer for many years, Arbel has a number of different hobbies, including skateboarding around the kibbutz and horseback riding, which she was inspired to pursue by her father, Yechi.
She also loves cleaning and organizing, including even in other people’s homes, according to an Instagram page dedicated to advocating for Arbel. She and her boyfriend adopted a kitten together and named him Dude.