Israeli captive Arbel Yehud will be released before next scheduled swap: Islamic Jihad

The Islamic Jihad resistance movement has confirmed that Israeli captive Arbel Yehud will be released before the next scheduled prisoner swap. 

Israeli authorities have used her continued detention as an excuse to prevent hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians from returning to their homes in northern Gaza in violation of a ceasefire agreement.

In a statement released on Sunday, the Islamic Jihad spokesman Mohammed Al-Hajj Musa announced that a deal had been reached regarding Yehud.

She will be released before February 1.

Yehud, who is a soldier in the Israeli military, was taken captive on October 7, 2023, from "Nir Oz" by a joint unit of Saraya al-Quds and al-Nasser Salah Al-Din Brigades fighters.

The Hamas resistance movement and Israel agreed to her release, along with other Israeli female soldiers, in exchange for Palestinian prisoners as part of the ceasefire agreement signed on January 15.

However, Yehud 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, Hamas in an official statement said it has informed mediators that Yehud is alive “and gave all the necessary guarantees for her release.”

“The occupation (Israel) is stalling under the pretext of captive Arbel Yehud, even though the movement informed mediators that she is alive and gave all the necessary guarantees for her release,” the Palestinian resistance group said.

Hamas releases four Israeli soldiers captured in Oct. 2023

Hamas has released four female Israeli soldiers it had captured during Operation al-Aqsa Flood on Oct. 7, 2023 under a truce deal in the Gaza war.

Thousands of displaced Palestinians attempting to reach northern Gaza have gathered at an Israeli military barrier which is blocking their progress.

Images showed massive crowds waiting to pass the Netzarim Corridor, a road that separates north and south Gaza and is controlled by Israeli troops.

Israel was scheduled to withdraw its forces from the area this weekend.

On Saturday, Hamas freed four Israeli female soldiers it had held since October 7, 2023, in return for 200 Palestinian prisoners. Ms Yehud, a non-military hostage, was scheduled to be freed first.

The families of the captives have been protesting every week since the beginning of the war and demanding her release.

Netanyahu's regime is under extreme pressure domestically and the Netzarim Corridor is the one piece of leverage he’s had.

It’s unclear whether in exchange for the release they will open the Netzarim Corridor and allow the people of northern Gaza to return home or release more Palestinian prisoners.

Freedom of Palestinian abductees, cutting across factions, reflects unity of cause

By embracing abductees from different ideological and organizational backgrounds, Hamas has reaffirmed its commitment to collective resistance, solidarity, and the shared goal of liberation of Palestine.

Israel has released a list of more than 700 Palestinian prisoners, who are to be released under the deal. More than 230 prisoners are serving life sentences and will be permanently sent to exile upon their release.

Hamas said in a recent statement that Israel was forced to "open the doors of his cells to our heroic prisoners,” after more than 14 months of "unprecedented brutal aggression that targeted every inch of Gaza in its barbarity."

Hamas condemns Trump's plan to ‘clean out’ Palestinians from Gaza

Palestinian resistance groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad have condemned a plan stated by US President Donald Trump to “clean out” the Gaza Strip.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad on Sunday condemned a plan floated by US President Donald Trump to “clean out” the Gaza Strip.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Saturday, Trump suggested cleaning out the Palestinian land and relocating the war-stricken people there to neighboring Arab countries, namely Egypt and Jordan.

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