IDF and Shin Bet forces managed to safely free an Israeli hostage alive after more than 9 months in Hamas captivity. Qaid Farhan Alkadi was abducted on Oct. 7 during the Hamas atrocities while he was working in Kibbutz Magen. Alkadi, from a Bedouin community near Rahat, was held captive in the southern Gaza Strip. Israeli officials say the 52-year-old is in good condition and was sent to the Soroka Medical Center for observation after 326 days in captivity. He was rescued from tunnel in the southern Gaza strip in an operation led by the Israeli Navy elite commando unit Shayetet 13, along with armored troops and combat engineering special forces under the direction of the Shin Bet security agency . IDF Spokesperson Daniel Hagari said the rescue was made possible by pinpointed intelligence that allowed the operation to go forward, adding the some parts of the mission were still ongoing, urging the public not to share sensitive data that has not been officially released.
"Today, the IDF and Shin Bet rescued the hostage Qaid Farhan Alkadi, aged 52, from Rahat, who was abducted by the Hamas terrorist organization into Gaza on October 7," the IDF said in a statement. "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. Israeli security forces will continue to operate with all means to bring home the hostages." His rescue puts the number of Hamas-held hostages, alive and deceased, at 108.
Video: Family members gather to welcome Qaid Farhan Alkadi at the hospital after being rescued / Creidt: Usage under Article 27a of the Israeli intellectual property law
Alkadi, 52 years old, married, and father of 11, lived with his family in the unrecognized village south of Rahat. Alkadi worked for many years as a guard at the packing house in the kibbutz from where he was kidnapped. On October 7, his family tried to reach him by phone without success. Only after several weeks did his family receive the official notification of his abduction.
Video: Qaid Farhan Alkadi upon arriving at the hospital / Credit: IDF Spokesperson's Unit
"I am very excited and happy, I hope everyone will return home and we will end the war. There are no words. My heart is pounding. It's the first time I'm speaking to the media, I hope everyone will return home, and that we will all live in routine and peace," Fayez, his family member, said.
In mid-August, the IDF successfully retrieved the remains of six hostages from a tunnel in Gaza during a covert night operation. The mission, based on intelligence from Israel's security agencies, marks a significant but heartbreaking milestone in the efforts to recover those taken captive: Avraham Munder (whose fate had been previously unknown), Yoram Metzger, Nadav Popplewell, Alexander Dancyg, Yagev Buchshtab, and Haim Peri.
The recovery mission, orchestrated using intelligence from the Shin Bet and Military Intelligence Directorate, led to the discovery of the remains inside a tunnel network in the Hamad neighborhood of central Khan Younis. While the approach to the tunnel involved firefights with nearby fighters, the forces encountered no resistance within the tunnel itself. Following the retrieval, the IDF completed the identification process before delivering the devastating news to the families of the deceased hostages.
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… pic.twitter.com/lGBKa3aaaO
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) August 27, 2024
I congratulate the IDF, the Shin Bet, and all the security services, and send my blessings to his family on his return - which is a moment of joy for the State of Israel and Israeli society as a whole. I wish for the immediate and swift return of all our 108 hostages, who are being held cruelly in captivity in Gaza.
I am overjoyed by the successful rescue of the hostage Qaid Farhan al-Qadi. Qaid, a Muslim resident of the Bedouin Israeli community in the Negev, who was kidnapped on October 7th from where he worked in Kibbutz Magen when Hamas terrorists came to indiscriminately abduct, murder,…
— יצחק הרצוג Isaac Herzog (@Isaac_Herzog) August 27, 2024
"I am overjoyed by the successful rescue of the hostage Qaid Farhan al-Qadi. Qaid, a Muslim resident of the Bedouin Israeli community in the Negev, who was kidnapped on October 7th from where he worked in Kibbutz Magen when Hamas terrorists came to indiscriminately abduct, murder, and rape — without distinction between race or religion," President Isaac Herzo wrote on X. "I congratulate the IDF, the Shin Bet, and all the security services, and send my blessings to his family on his return - which is a moment of joy for the State of Israel and Israeli society as a whole. I wish for the immediate and swift return of all our 108 hostages, who are being held cruelly in captivity in Gaza."
Video: PM Netanyahu on the release of Qaid Farhan Alkadi / Credit: X/@Israelipm
