Israel gets first sign of life from hostage Arbel Yehud after Hamas confirms 8 hostages slated for release are dead

In a first sign of life, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) released a short video showing Israeli hostage Arbel Yehud, who the terrorists agreed to release this Thursday in exchange for the opening of the Netzarim Corridor in Gaza.

Meanwhile, Hamas finally fulfilled its obligation to send Israel a list with the conditions of the hostages that are slated to be released under the current ceasefire.

The list confirmed Israeli information that 18 of the 26 remaining hostages are still alive, and eight of them are dead. However, Hamas again didn’t specify who of the hostages are alive or dead.

So far, seven living hostages have been released as part of the agreement that began on Jan. 19.

The clip of Yehud was published on the Telegram channel of Saraya al-Quds, PIJ’s armed wing, on Monday evening.

In the video, which hasn’t been shared by Israeli media outlets following a request by her family, Yehud introduces herself and says the video was taken last Saturday. “My family, I’m OK. I miss you endlessly and I hope to return to you soon, like the girls who had been released,” Yehud said.

Following the formula of earlier propaganda videos, she then addresses Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump, asking them to “do everything” to ensure the ceasefire continues so that the hostages can return “healthy and safely” and the Palestinian “prisoners can return home in peace.”

Over the duration of the war, Israeli media outlets have largely refrained from sharing the propaganda videos released by Hamas and PIJ so as not to take part in their psychological warfare against Israel.

Yehud was supposed to be released with the last batch of hostages, as the ceasefire stipulated that civilians should be released before the captured IDF soldiers. Despite this, Hamas released four female soldiers last Saturday.

The Israeli government announced late on Sunday night that it had reached an agreement with Hamas to release Yehud along with IDF soldier Agam Berger, and an unspecified male hostage this Thursday, before the next round of releases planned for the weekend.

Israel had specifically demanded the release of Yehud last week, anticipating difficulties due to her being held by the PIJ.

According to media reports, a local PIJ branch resisted instructions from the PIJ leadership abroad and was refusing to release her.

In addition, the PIJ reportedly at first wrongly categorized Yehud as a soldier and therefore demanded more Palestinian prisoners to be released in exchange for her.