By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – In a daring operation amid ongoing clashes, Israeli forces rescued a Bedouin man during an operation in wartorn Gaza, more than 10 months after Hamas abducted him in Israel, officials confirmed late Tuesday.
Qaid Farhan Alkadi, 52, from Rahat, was freed from a vast underground tunnel in a “complex mission” by Israeli commandos acting on intelligence, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, told reporters.
The area where the father of 11 children was held has been reported as being 20 meters (65 feet) deep.
Alkadi was described as healthy but was undergoing further health checks at Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba in Israel’s Negev desert. “Suddenly, I heard someone speaking Hebrew outside the door; I couldn’t believe it, I couldn’t believe it,” Alkadi recounted from the hospital during a phone call with Israel’s president while his large Bedouin Arab family gathered around his bedside in a joyful reunion.
He was the eighth hostage to be rescued by Israeli forces since about 250 were kidnapped during the October 7 attack that triggered Israel’s war against Hamas.
Yet the rescue also served as a painful reminder that dozens of hostages are still in captivity as international mediators try to broker a cease-fire in which they would be released.
108 HOSTAGES
Israel estimates there are still 108 hostages in Gaza and that about one-third of them are dead, though U.S. officials warn that at least half of them have died.
Most of the rest were freed during a weeklong cease-fire in November in exchange for the release of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.
The Israeli military said it applied “lessons” learned during previous operations while rescuing Alkadi.
Earlier in the war, Israeli troops who encountered three hostages inside Gaza accidentally shot and killed them, believing them to be Hamas fighters.
Alkadi expressed gratitude during the phone call with Israeli President Isaac Herzog that this operation succeeded.
However, he also said that the country’s leaders should do everything possible to free the dozens still in captivity. “Work 24 hours, don’t sleep until they return. People are really suffering, you can’t imagine,” he said, according to a transcript of the call provided by Herzog’s office.
Copyright 1999-2024 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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