Arbel Yehud’s father shares a chilling message from her in the Knesset 

Yechi, the father of Arbel Yehud, who was recently released from Hamas captivity, spoke today (Monday) before the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee and read a message from his daughter.

Yehud quoted his daughter as saying: "I learned the Arabic language within a month and heard those who held me express joy over the division in the nation over the question of the release of the hostages. I thought they were using psychological terror on me when the issue of hostages became a political one. I couldn't believe it until I returned to Israel and was exposed to this harsh reality."

"I held for 482 days without seeing or hearing a single Israeli, from the time I was separated from my partner Ariel three hours after I was kidnapped until I met Gadi (Mozes). You can imagine some of the horrors I went through during my captivity, and you all saw the day of my release."

She also wrote that "despite this, I returned focused on the goal of rescuing my beloved Ariel, his brother David and the other hostages as part of the struggle for their release and in parallel with the long rehabilitation process that awaits me."

"Already on the eve of my release day in Sheba Hospital, I said to my father: 'Dad, don't let go. I need Ariel to rehabilitate.' And my father answered me: 'I didn't think otherwise.'"

Yechi read out his daughter's message to the Knesset members: "I demand of you, like my father, not to think otherwise. Bring everyone back in one move – the living and the dead, and don't scare the people with the question of price, but frighten yourselves, and maybe that's what will make you better protect the country's citizens in the future."