On August 27, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) rescued Qaid Farhan Alkadi, a hostage who had been held in Gaza by Hamas for 326 days since Hamas’s October 7 attack. It is the latest hostage rescue since the IDF rescued four hostages on June 8 in the central Gaza town of Nuseirat. Alkadi was brought by helicopter to a hospital in Israel, where he met with his family the same day.
Alkadi worked as a security guard at a factory near Kibbutz Magen on the border with Gaza. He is the father of 11 and is from the large Bedouin city of Rahat. A number of members of Israel’s Bedouin community, who are Muslim Arabs, were working in areas near the Gaza border on October 7, and six were kidnapped during Hamas’s attack. Two of these hostages, children who were with their family members the morning of the attack, were released in November during the first hostage deal with Hamas. Another Israeli Bedouin, Hisham al-Sayed, has been held captive by Hamas since 2014.
Israeli media reported that Alkadi was found in a tunnel in southern Gaza, where it appeared the terrorists who were holding him abandoned him. “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,” the IDF said.
The ISA is the Israel Security Agency, also known as the Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security and intelligence service. The Shin Bet has played a major role in the war on Hamas, including the search for hostages. The 162nd Division currently operates Rafah and adjoining neighborhoods in southern Gaza near the Egyptian border. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant recently said the division had defeated Hamas’ Rafah Brigade in the area.
“During a complex rescue mission, Qaid Farhan Alkadi from the Bedouin community of Rahat, who was kidnapped from Israel by Hamas terrorists during their massacre on October 7th, has been rescued. He is alive. He is back home in Israel,” the IDF said in a statement.
The announcement came as Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi completed a situational assessment with the commander of Israel’s Southern Command and other high-ranking officers involved with operations in Gaza. “We are doing everything we can to save all of the hostages. The IDF and ISA show bravery, determination and initiative in complex operations in the battlefield,” Halevi said.
Photos and footage from the rescue operation show Alkadi meeting with Brigadier General Itzhik Cohen, the commander of the IDF’s 162nd Division. Images also show the commander of the elite Shayetet naval commando unit meeting with the freed hostage. Alkadi was taken to an armored personnel carrier and then a helicopter that flew him to Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba in southern Israel. Numerous members of his family ran to greet him as he arrived at the hospital.
IDF Spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said that the former hostage’s medical condition was stable and he would undergo further examinations. Hagari vowed that the IDF “will not rest until we fulfill our mission to bring all our hostages back home.” Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to Alkadi by phone after the rescue. “I want you to know that we are not forgetting anyone, just like we did not forget you. We are committed to returning everyone, without exception,” Netanyahu said.
Alkadi’s rescue is the fourth successful operation that has saved living hostages in Gaza since the war began. The IDF rescued Noa Argamani, Almog Meir Jan, Andrey Kozlov, and Shlomi Ziv on June 8 in Nuseirat, a town in central Gaza. On February 12, the IDF rescued two hostages in Rafah in a raid. Ori Megedish, an IDF observer kidnapped by Hamas, was rescued on October 30, during the first days of the ground offensive in Gaza.
The IDF has also recovered the bodies of a number of hostages since the war began. On August 20, the bodies of six hostages were recovered from Khan Younis. There are 104 hostages still held in Gaza, and Israel believes 34 of them have been killed.
