Jerusalem: In a major development, Israeli troops have said they rescued a hostage in southern Gaza as part of a "complex rescue operation". The hostage was identified as Qaid Farhan Alkadi, whose medical condition was reported as normal.
"Today, the IDF and ISA rescued the hostage Qaid Farhan Alkadi, aged 52, from Rahat, who was abducted by the Hamas terrorist organization into Gaza on October 7. He is in a stable medical condition and is being transferred for medical checks at a hospital. His family has been updated with the details, and the IDF is accompanying them," said the Israel Defence Forces in a statement.
According to the Jerusalem Post, Alkadi, 52, is undergoing further health checks at the hospital. This is the fourth successful operation to recover live Israeli hostages from Hamas captivity in Gaza, after numerous hostages are believed to be killed by Hamas or have died from the nearly one-year-long war between the Palestinian militant group and Hamas.
"The IDF and ISA have rescued Qaid Farhan Alkadi from Gaza where he was held hostage, and brought him to his family in Israel. This operation was part of the IDF’s daring and courageous activities conducted deep inside the Gaza strip. This operation joins a series of actions taken by the IDF that bring us closer to achieving the goals of this war," said Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, commending the rescue.
Alkadi is the eighth live hostage rescued from Gaza, which brings the number of remaining hostages down to 108 from an original round of 250. A third of the hostages still in Gaza are believed to be dead. "We do everything we can to save hostages. The IDF and the Shin Bet showed courage, determination, and taking initiative in a complex operation," said Israeli Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi.
Israeli television stations showed a military helicopter landing at a hospital as medical staff stood by. Alkadi was taken hostage in Kibbutz Magen, one of a string of communities around the Gaza Strip that were attacked by Hamas-led fighters on October 7, which killed 1,200 people in Israel.
Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed over 40,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials, who do not say how many were fighters. It has displaced 90 per cent of Gaza's 2.3 million people from their homes and caused heavy destruction across the besieged territory. Hamas says several hostages have been killed in Israeli airstrikes and failed rescue attempts.
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