Hostage abducted on October 7 is rescued from Gaza, Israeli military says

52-year-old captive Qaed Farhan al-Qadi has returned to Israel. Photo / Getty Images

The Israeli military says it has rescued Kaid Farhan al-Qadi, a hostage held in the Gaza Strip since his abduction during Hamas’s October 7 attack, and flown him to Israel, where he is now in a hospital in stable condition.

Qadi, 52, a member of Israel’s Bedouin Arab minority, was rescued from an underground tunnel in the southern Gaza Strip, Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said, adding that troops followed “accurate intelligence” to rescue him.

The operation to free Qadi was “complex,” the Israel Defence Forces said. Officials did not offer any further details, citing safety concerns for other hostages still held in Gaza.

Qadi’s brother, Hathem al-Qadi, told The Washington Post that he felt “great joy” over his sibling’s release. “It’s something indescribable. It feels as if he came back to life,” Hathem al-Qadi said, adding that his brother is feeling well.

Kaid al-Qadi “is fully conscious and in good overall condition”, a spokesperson for the Soroka Medical Centre in Beer Sheva in southern Israel said. He and a relative reunited with “great emotion” inside the hospital, the statement said.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog said he was “overjoyed” at Qadi’s rescue, calling it “a moment of joy for the State of Israel and Israeli society as a whole”.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Qadi have spoken on the phone, according to a statement from Netanyahu’s office. The Prime Minister told Qadi that “all of the people of Israel are excited about his release”, the statement said.

Defence Minister Yoav Gallant hailed “the bold and determined actions” of the IDF and Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security agency. “We are committed to seizing every opportunity to bring the hostages back home.”

“Kaid’s return home is nothing short of miraculous,” the Hostages Families Forum, an umbrella organisation for the relatives of hostages, said in a statement.

The father of 11 was abducted from his security job at a factory in Israel’s Kibbutz Magen, the forum said, noting that Qadi had spent 326 days in captivity before he was rescued by Israeli troops.

While the group welcomed Qadi’s release, it stressed that “military operations alone cannot free the remaining 108 hostages”, and once again called for a hostage-release deal to be secured.

“We urgently call on the international community to maintain pressure on Hamas to accept the proposed deal and release all hostages,” the statement said. “Every single day in captivity is one too many. The remaining hostages cannot afford to wait for another such miracle.”

Netanyahu has faced criticism from Israelis and families of the hostages for not yet securing a deal to return the hostages, despite months of negotiations.

The United States, along with Egypt and Qatar, has spent months trying to broker an agreement. The proposal includes a six-week cease-fire, the release of scores of Israeli hostages and Palestinian detainees, and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from major population centres in Gaza.

While the United States insists a Gaza ceasefire deal is close, diplomats are sceptical.