diff --git a/pkg/graveler/retention/active_commits_test.go b/pkg/graveler/retention/active_commits_test.go
index 46ffd05a5de..ace2b2f3d69 100644
--- a/pkg/graveler/retention/active_commits_test.go
+++ b/pkg/graveler/retention/active_commits_test.go
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import (
 	"context"
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
+	"hash/fnv"
 	"sort"
 	"testing"
 	"time"
@@ -165,12 +166,44 @@ func TestCommitsMap(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+type testRepoCommits struct {
+	commits            map[string]testCommit
+	headsRetentionDays map[string]int32
+	expectedActiveIDs  []string
+}
+
+func fingerprint[T ~string](s T) T {
+	h := fnv.New64a()
+	h.Write([]byte(s)) // Write cannot fail for a hash func.
+	fingerprint := h.Sum64()
+	return T(fmt.Sprintf("%016x-%s", fingerprint, s))
+}
+
+func scrambleIDs(tst testRepoCommits) testRepoCommits {
+	commits := make(map[string]testCommit, len(tst.commits))
+	for id, commit := range tst.commits {
+		for idx, parent := range commit.parents {
+			commit.parents[idx] = fingerprint(parent)
+		}
+		commits[fingerprint(id)] = commit
+	}
+	headsRetentionDays := make(map[string]int32, len(tst.headsRetentionDays))
+	for id, days := range tst.headsRetentionDays {
+		headsRetentionDays[fingerprint(id)] = days
+	}
+	expectedActiveIDs := make([]string, len(tst.expectedActiveIDs))
+	for idx, id := range tst.expectedActiveIDs {
+		expectedActiveIDs[idx] = fingerprint(id)
+	}
+	return testRepoCommits{
+		commits:            commits,
+		headsRetentionDays: headsRetentionDays,
+		expectedActiveIDs:  expectedActiveIDs,
+	}
+}
+
 func TestActiveCommits(t *testing.T) {
-	tests := map[string]struct {
-		commits            map[string]testCommit
-		headsRetentionDays map[string]int32
-		expectedActiveIDs  []string
-	}{
+	tests := map[string]testRepoCommits{
 		"two_branches": {
 			commits: map[string]testCommit{
 				"a": newTestCommit(15),
@@ -330,7 +363,7 @@ func TestActiveCommits(t *testing.T) {
 			expectedActiveIDs:  []string{"h1", "h2", "h3", "e1", "e2", "e3"},
 		},
 	}
-	for name, tst := range tests {
+	for name, tstBase := range tests {
 		t.Run(name, func(t *testing.T) {
 			now := time.Now()
 			ctrl := gomock.NewController(t)
@@ -339,6 +372,11 @@ func TestActiveCommits(t *testing.T) {
 			repositoryRecord := &graveler.RepositoryRecord{
 				RepositoryID: "test",
 			}
+
+			// Shuffle startingPoints (below) by replacing all CommitIDs with their
+			// fingerprints.  Otherwise they tend to be alphabetically ordered,
+			// which can match their time ordering better than will actually happen.
+			tst := scrambleIDs(tstBase)
 			garbageCollectionRules := &graveler.GarbageCollectionRules{DefaultRetentionDays: 5, BranchRetentionDays: make(map[string]int32)}
 			var branches []*graveler.BranchRecord
 			for head, retentionDays := range tst.headsRetentionDays {
@@ -369,12 +407,16 @@ func TestActiveCommits(t *testing.T) {
 
 			refManagerMock.EXPECT().ListCommits(ctx, repositoryRecord).Return(testutil.NewFakeCommitIterator(commitsRecords), nil).MaxTimes(1)
 
-			gcCommits, err := GetGarbageCollectionCommits(ctx, NewGCStartingPointIterator(
+			startingPoints := NewGCStartingPointIterator(
 				testutil.NewFakeCommitIterator(findMainAncestryLeaves(now, tst.headsRetentionDays, tst.commits)),
-				testutil.NewFakeBranchIterator(branches)), &repositoryCommitGetter{
-				refManager: refManagerMock,
-				repository: repositoryRecord,
-			}, garbageCollectionRules)
+				testutil.NewFakeBranchIterator(branches))
+			defer startingPoints.Close()
+
+			gcCommits, err := GetGarbageCollectionCommits(ctx, startingPoints,
+				&repositoryCommitGetter{
+					refManager: refManagerMock,
+					repository: repositoryRecord,
+				}, garbageCollectionRules)
 			if err != nil {
 				t.Fatalf("failed to find expired commits: %v", err)
 			}
diff --git a/pkg/graveler/retention/starting_point_iterator_test.go b/pkg/graveler/retention/starting_point_iterator_test.go
index daa71c2e415..32339dfcc04 100644
--- a/pkg/graveler/retention/starting_point_iterator_test.go
+++ b/pkg/graveler/retention/starting_point_iterator_test.go
@@ -71,6 +71,7 @@ func TestStartingPointIterator(t *testing.T) {
 			branchIterator := testutil.NewFakeBranchIterator(branchRecords)
 			commitIterator := testutil.NewFakeCommitIterator(commitRecords)
 			it := NewGCStartingPointIterator(commitIterator, branchIterator)
+			defer it.Close()
 			i := 0
 			for it.Next() {
 				val := it.Value()
@@ -89,7 +90,6 @@ func TestStartingPointIterator(t *testing.T) {
 			if it.Err() != nil {
 				t.Fatalf("unexpected error: %v", it.Err())
 			}
-			it.Close()
 			if i != len(expected) {
 				t.Fatalf("got unexpected number of results. expected=%d, got=%d", len(expected), i)
 			}