Israel rescues hostage after more than 10 months in Gaza captivity

The rescue of Farhan Al-Qadi, an Israeli Bedouin national, after more than 10 months in captivity raises new hope and pressure for a deal to free the more than 100 people still held hostage in the Gaza Strip.

Al-Qadi, a 52-year-old father of 11 children, is the eighth hostage to be rescued by the Israeli army since the military operation in Gaza began, and the first to emerge alive from inside Hamas's extensive network of tunnels. 

According to Israeli media reports, al-Qadi had not seen sunlight for eight months and witnessed the death of another hostage who had been with him for two months. The Israel Defence Forces have described the operation as ‘complex’, indicating that they found al-Qadi alone, without guards, in a room some 23 metres underground in southern Gaza. 

Israeli military officials declined to give further details of the operation, citing the safety of the remaining hostages in the Gaza Strip and Israeli forces.

Al-Qadi, originally from a Bedouin community near the southern Israeli town of Rahat, was working as a guard at a packaging factory in Kibbutz Magen when he was abducted by Hamas on 7 October along with 250 others. 

Al-Qadi's family and friends have received him with emotion and joy at the Soroka hospital in Beersheva, where he was transferred from Gaza. Despite being in ‘good condition’, Al-Qadi has lost weight during his captivity.

Also, as one of his relatives told CNN, al-Qadi was shot in the leg during the Hamas attack, causing a wound that was ‘poorly treated’ during his captivity. Like other hostages, al-Qadi underwent surgery without anaesthesia. 

In addition to meeting with his family and receiving medical treatment, Al-Qadi also had a telephone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whom he reminded that there are ‘other people who are waiting’ to be rescued. 

Also, during a conversation with President Isaac Herzog, Al-Qadi said that the suffering of the hostages is unimaginable, reiterating the need to ‘do everything possible to bring them home’.

‘People are suffering every minute,’ Al-Qadi stressed, also thanking the IDF for its “sacred work” and for “risking their lives” to rescue him.

For his part, Herzog called the rescue ‘a moment of joy for the State of Israel and Israeli society as a whole’.

The Hostages' Families Forum also welcomed the “miraculous” rescue, but stressed that military operations alone will not free the remaining hostages “who have suffered 326 days of abuse and terror”.

They called for a negotiated settlement, as ‘it is the only way forward’. ‘We urgently call on the international community to keep up the pressure on Hamas to accept the proposed deal and release all hostages. The remaining hostages cannot afford to wait for another such miracle,’ they said in a statement. 

After the November truce and several rescue operations, an estimated 104 people are still being held hostage, including the bodies of 34 dead. In addition to the 7 October hostages, Hamas is also holding two Israeli civilians who entered the Strip in 2014 and 2015, as well as the bodies of two soldiers killed in 2014.

This rescue comes amid a new round of negotiations to reach a ceasefire in Gaza that would allow for the release of the hostages. Despite recent rejections by Hamas, the United States is maintaining diplomatic efforts to broker a truce. For its part, Israel is sending a delegation to Qatar today to continue talks with US, Qatari and Egyptian officials.