The army last managed to free hostages from Hamas in the Gaza Strip in June. Now another of the abducted people can return home to his family.
The Israeli army has once again freed a hostage from the Islamist terrorist organization Hamas. A 52-year-old Bedouin was rescued in a difficult operation in the south of the Gaza Strip, the military announced. Kaid Farhan Alkadi, who was kidnapped in the terrorist attack on October 7, is reportedly in a stable condition and has been taken to a hospital for examinations.
First hostage freed from tunnel
Army spokesman Daniel Hagari said special forces had freed him from a tunnel. The man, who according to Israeli media has eleven children, is the first hostage to be rescued alive from a tunnel. It was not immediately known whether there were any fights on site.
The hostage families’ forum welcomed the rescue operation and said that the 52-year-old had worked as a security guard in Kibbutz Magen on the border with the Gaza Strip. He had been held hostage for a total of 326 days.
His return home was “nothing less than a miracle”. At the same time, relatives stressed that military operations alone could not free the remaining hostages. An agreement on a ceasefire in the Gaza war was “the only way forward”.
They called on the international community to put pressure on Hamas to agree to an agreement and release all hostages. “Every day in captivity is one too many. The remaining hostages cannot afford to wait for another miracle.”
Relatives of the liberated man overjoyed
Many relatives rushed to the hospital to greet their relative. One of the liberated man’s relatives told the Israeli newspaper Haaretz that the family could hardly believe that he had now returned home. “We have been waiting for almost twelve months,” he said. “We are very excited to see him and to hold him in our arms.”
The Israeli Kan broadcaster reported that the 52-year-old was one of six Bedouins who were kidnapped by Hamas on October 7. The Bedouins belong to the Arab minority in Israel, which often has to deal with discrimination. Some of them serve in the Israeli army. The number of Bedouins nationwide is estimated at around 250,000. Many of them live in the Negev desert in southern Israel. A relative told the news site ynet after the rescue operation: “The whole Negev is celebrating!”
According to his office, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to the rescued man on the phone. His release touched the entire Israeli people, Netanyahu said in the conversation. Israeli President Yitzhak Herzog also expressed his delight at the successful rescue. It was “a moment of joy for the State of Israel and Israeli society as a whole.”
Most recently, hostages were freed in June
“The Israeli security forces will continue to use all means possible to bring the hostages home,” the army said in a statement. This is the eighth hostage that the military was able to free alive.
Most recently, in June, the young woman Noa Argamani and three other hostages were rescued in a dramatic military operation. According to the army, there were heavy clashes with armed Palestinians. According to the Hamas-controlled health authority, 274 Palestinians were killed at the time.
According to Israel, 108 hostages still in Gaza
According to Israeli figures, Hamas still has 108 hostages in its power. At least a third of them are presumed dead. In total, Palestinian terrorists kidnapped more than 250 people from Israel to the coastal region on October 7 last year. Around 1,200 people were killed in the unprecedented terrorist attack.
Israel’s army responded with devastating attacks in Gaza, in which, according to Palestinian sources, more than 40,400 people were killed. The Hamas-controlled health authority does not distinguish between fighters and civilians in these casualty figures.
The indirect talks between Israel and Hamas about a ceasefire in the Gaza war, in which Qatar, Egypt and the USA are mediating, have been at a standstill for months. The last success came in November, when more than 100 hostages held by Hamas were released during a brief ceasefire.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
