Israeli commandos have rescued a hostage alive and well, but looking emaciated, from an underground tunnel in southern Gaza in what Israel Defense Forces (IDF) described as “a complex operation.” Bedouin Arab Qaid Farhan Alkadi was alone and appeared unguarded at the time.
The 52-year-old has been transferred to the Soroka Medical Center in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba where his condition is reported to be “stable.” The former security guard at Kibbutz Magen near the Gaza border, had been held for 326-days.
The IDF gave few details about the rescue, citing the security of the remaining hostages and Israeli forces. Israeli media quoted Mr. Alkadi as telling his family that he had not seen the sun for almost eight months, and that another hostage who was with him for two months had died next to him.
During a phone conversation with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Mr. Alkadi told the Israeli leader: “I thank you for this work, that you have reached a situation in which I see my family and am here. You truly did sacred work. There are other people who are waiting.”
A military official told Reuters that his rescuers had been navigating a complex underground system in Rafah where hostages were suspected to be held alongside militants and explosives. He’s the eighth hostage rescued by Israeli forces since the start of the war in Gaza.
Scores of family members gathered at the hospital to greet Mr. Alkadi who has two wives, 11 children and one grandchild. His brother told Israel’s Haaretz newspaper: “We’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time. We hope that all hostages will get this moment, that they will all experience the same excitement and joy.”
Mr. Netanyahu said: “We are working relentlessly to return all of our hostages. We are doing this in two main ways: negotiations and rescue operations. The two of these together require our military presence on the ground, and constant military pressure.”
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum which described the rescue as “nothing short of miraculous,” warned that: “Military operations alone cannot free the remaining hostages. A negotiated deal is the only way forward. We urgently call on the international community to maintain pressure on Hamas to accept the [current] proposed deal and release all hostages.”
Israel believes there are still 108 hostages in Gaza and that about one-third of them are dead. Most of the rest were freed during a weeklong cease-fire in November in exchange for the release of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Two other Bedouin Arabs, a father and son, are among the remaining hostages who are still alive. The body of a third is still being held by Hamas.
Photo: IDF
