The masked and armed Hamas militants released seven hostages—two Israelis, including Arbel Yehoud, and five Thai nationals on Thursday—a move confirmed by the Red Cross.

This release is part of a ceasefire agreement that came into effect on January 19, intended to de-escalate the deadliest and most destructive conflict between Israel and the Hamas militant group. The fragile truce, now in its tenth day, has temporarily halted hostilities and facilitated the delivery of increased humanitarian aid to the densely populated Gaza Strip.

Among those released on Thursday is 29-year-old Arbel Yehoud. Visuals that have surfaced online show Yehoud being handed over to the Red Cross by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Khan Younis, southern Gaza.

The video depicts 'terrified' Yehoud being escorted through a large crowd of over thousand Palestinians and armed militants near the ruins of former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar’s residence. She appears visibly distressed as she and the gunmen navigate the chaotic scene, pushing through the crowd to reach the Red Cross vehicle.

Arbel was supposed to be released last Saturday, however, Hamas released four female soldiers instead.

During the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, Arbel Yehoud was taken captive from Nir Oz kibbutz near Gaza, along with her boyfriend Ariel Cunio's family. They initially sought shelter in Ariel's brother's house, but Hamas militants set the building on fire, forcing them to emerge. In this attack, Yehoud suffered the devastating loss of her brother Dolev, who was killed. This was part of a broader assault that resulted in approximately 1,200 Israeli deaths and the abduction of around 250 people as hostages.

The visuals of the release incident have sparked strong reactions from social media users. One user wrote, "I must say, after the horrific images we witnessed during the release of hostages today, I find it difficult to have any empathy for the ‘civilians’ of Gaza, given they appear so indistinguishable from the savages of Hamas. They seem no different from those who carried out the attacks on October 7th."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on mediators to ensure that such intimidating scenes do not recur. In a post on X, Netanyahu stated, “I view with great severity the shocking scenes during the release of our hostages. This is further proof of the unimaginable cruelty of the Hamas terrorist organization. I demand that the mediators ensure that such threatening scenes do not occur again and guarantee the safety of our hostages. Whoever dares to harm our captives—his blood will be on his head.”

Under the terms of the ceasefire, a total of 33 Israeli hostages are expected to be freed in exchange for the release of nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners during the initial six-week period. Israel has reported receiving information from Hamas indicating that eight of the hostages were either killed during Hamas' October 7, 2023, attack or have died while in captivity.