Photo credit: Times of Israel
Farhan Al-Qadi made a record as the first Israeli hostage to have been rescued alive from inside Hamas’ expansive tunnel network under Gaza.
CNN reports that his family has hailed his “unbelievable” rescue by the IDF, saying it is as if he had been “brought back to life.”
A Bedouin Israeli citizen from Rabat, Al-Qadi, who had been held hostage since October 7, is reported to be in a stable medical condition after being rescued in a “complex operation,” according to an Israeli military spokesman on Tuesday.
Acting on intelligence, Israeli special forces were combing a network of tunnels in southern Gaza when they found him. Al-Qadi was alone without his Hamas captors.
He is the eighth hostage to be rescued alive from Gaza by the Israeli military since the beginning of the war. However, he is the first to have been rescued from inside a Hamas tunnel network.
Al-Qadi’s brother, Juma’a, said, “He was dead and is now brought back to life.” He met family members at the Soroka Medical Center in Beer Sheva, where he was cared for after his rescue. He said he had not expected to come back alive.
Juma’a said, “It was all tears. Tears of joy. What matters is that we saw him.”
The director general of Soroka Medical Center, Shlomi Codish, said the former hostage would “require another day or two of medical tests to make sure he is still okay.”
Family members said Al-Qadi was expected to return to Tarabin on Wednesday. On Tuesday evening, his brothers and 11 children, along with their cousins and neighbors, were busy putting up tents, chairs and lights ahead of his return to the village
Aiya El-Sanae, Al-Qadi’s mother, said that at first, her family hid the painful truth of her son’s disappearance from her. They told her he had travelled.Nut, a few months after the October 7 attacks, they told her the truth.
She told CNN, “My heart flew with joy.”
Juma’a said his brother had been shot in the leg and kidnapped on October 7 during the Hamas attack that killed 1,200 people and took more than 250 others hostage, according to Israeli authorities.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had a video conversation with Al-Qadi. He said, “Farhan, I’m so happy to talk to you. I want you to know that we do not forget anyone, just as we did not forget you.”
The former hostage responded to the prime minister, “I’m happy, too. I’ve been waiting for this moment.”
The Hostages Families Forum, which campaigns for the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, celebrated the return of the father of eleven.
“(His) return home is nothing short of miraculous. However, we must remember military operation alone cannot free the remaining 108 hostages, who have suffered 326 days of abuse and terror,” it said.
Protests demanding the Israeli government to do more to secure the release of the remaining hostages have been going on for months. Al-Qadi’s friend Abu Slam said he had participated in some of those protests and asked Al Codi when he visited the hospital whether he was aware of the demonstrations.
Israeli Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallant said a :a daring and courageous” operation led to Al Qadi’s rescue. Israeli President Isaac Herzog said he was “overjoyed” by the development.
