
The Saudi Sharq Al-Awsat newspaper reported on Monday that Ahmad Sarhan, who was eliminated in a special IDF operation in Khan Yunis, was behind the abduction of Arbel Yehud during the October 7th Massacre.
The newspaper cited sources stating that not only did Sarhan participate in Yehud's abduction, but he was also directly in charge of guarding her and oversaw her transfer from one location to another several times in the Gaza Strip.
The Saudi Al Arabiya network reported on Monday morning that a special Israeli force entered a specific area in central Khan Yunis and eliminated Sarhan and arrested his wife and children. It also reported that Sarhan's body was taken to a hospital in the Gaza Strip.
Palestinian Arabs reported dozens of air and artillery strikes in various locations.
The IDF did not address the reports of the elimination and stated, "The IDF is in the midst of Operation 'Gideon's Chariots' and is operating throughout the Gaza Strip," adding that "following the recent reports, there is no change in the situational assessment."
Arbel Yehud addressed the Knesset earlier in the day, describing the constant fear and physical abuse she endured. “I was beaten. I was surviving in Holocaust conditions. I only survived because I kept the hope of returning to my family,” she told MKs. “This commitment accompanied me throughout my days in captivity.”
She recounted one particularly traumatic night in Rafah, when Israeli forces rescued hostages Luis Har and Fernando Merman. “I was held nearby. That night, I chose to say goodbye to my family because I felt it was my last day,” she said.
Yehud also described the inhumane treatment she received following the deaths of relatives of her captors. “On the day the families of the terrorists who guarded me were killed, I was treated inhumanely,” she testified.