Israel announced Tuesday that it had rescued a Bedouin Israeli Arab Muslim hostage, Qaid Farhan al-Qadi, 52, from a Hamas tunnel in Gaza in a special operation by Israel’s Shayetet 13, the Israeli equivalent of the U.S. Navy SEALs.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Israel Security Agency (ISA) issued a joint statement:
Today (Tuesday), the IDF and ISA rescued the hostage Qaid Farhan Alkadi, aged 52, from Rahat, who was abducted by the Hamas terror organization into the Gaza Strip on October 7th.
Qaid Farhan Alkadi was rescued by Shayetet 13, the 401st Brigade, Yahalom, and ISA forces under the command of the 162nd Division in a complex operation in the southern Gaza Strip.
No further details can be published due to considerations of the safety of our hostages, the security of our forces, and national security.
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.
Israeli government spokesman David Mencer told reporters that al-Qadi had been rescued in a “daring” rescue, and that he been taken to an Israeli hospital for tests, and that his condition was “stable.”
“His family has been informed. They are absolutely delighted,” Mencer added, calling al-Qadi “a valued Israeli citizen.”
“All Israelis will be absolutely over the moon, having secured his release. … We will bring all of them home.”
The IDF’s Arabic spokesman posted images of al-Qadi and the rescue:
A relative of the freed hostage told Army Radio that al-Qadi’s name translates in Hebrew as “happiness,” and that he had lived up to his name with his good fortune at being rescued alive.
Six Bedouins were kidnapped during the Hamas terror attack of October 7. Two Bedouin teenagers were freed during the November truce; one Bedouin man was killed accidentally by Israeli troops along with two other hostages who had escaped and were mistaken for terrorists in December.
Hamas killed dozens of Israeli Arabs and Muslims, alienating these communities from the Palestinian cause.
“Each of our … remaining hostages are dear to us, no matter what their religion. That is what Israel is all about,” Mencer said. “Yes, we are of course a home for the Jewish people. But our Declaration [of Independence] … makes clear … [we are] always living in peace with the people that live here.”
After the rescue, 108 hostages remain in Gaza, at least half of whom are still thought to be alive.
Of the 253 hostages who were abducted on October 7, six have been rescued thus far by the IDF.
Army Radio reported that the rescue represented the first successful hostage rescue from inside a Hamas tunnel. He was not found in the tunnel after escaping, but rather had been held within the tunnel for an unknown period of time.
Al-Qadi was described as “very, very thin” but smiling. Army Radio reported that he would be meeting a grandchild for the first time, after one was born in Israel during his captivity.
Update: IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari reported that al-Qadi had been rescued in an operation based on specific intelligence about his location. He said that a-Qadi was in Soroka Hospital in the city of Beersheba, and had met with his family.
He declined to provide details about the rescue operation, except to add that al-Qadi was providing further information that Israel might use to rescue other hostages.
“Every hostage is an entire world,” Hagari concluded. “There are still 108 hostages in the Gaza Strip. We are acting to return all of them home.”
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of “”The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days,” available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of “The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency,” now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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