Kaid Farhan Al-Qadi, who was kidnapped on October 7, was unexpectedly found and rescued by IDF forces today (Tuesday) from a tunnel in the southern Gaza Strip.
Al-Qadi, 52, was discovered alone in the tunnel, unbound and without the presence of his captors or other militants. In a rare move, the soldiers interrogated Al-Qadi before rescuing him to determine if there were any other abductees nearby, but none were found.
taken to Soroka
Al-Qadi was promptly taken to Soroka Hospital in Be'er Sheva, where it was confirmed that his medical condition was good. He is a resident of the unrecognized village of Karkur, south of Rahat, and was employed as a guard at a potato packing house in Moshav Yesha at the time of his abduction. Al-Qadi, who is married with 11 children, was shot and injured during the Hamas invasion. While he was held captive, a grandson was born to him.
"The situation is good,"
Al-Qadi’s brother, Hatem, who witnessed his arrival at the hospital, said, "The situation is good," and noted that his brother, though conscious, had lost weight during his captivity. "After 11 months, it's not easy to be in the tunnel, it's like coming back from death," Hatem remarked.
The family learned of Al-Qadi's release from news reports before receiving official confirmation from the IDF. "We didn't believe it at first, but when the army informed us that it was true, we were very excited," Hatem said, adding that his brother’s first question upon seeing his family was about the health of their mother, who had been ill before the abduction.
Netanyahu's office confirmed
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office confirmed that he had spoken with Al-Qadi by phone. This comes after recent reports criticized Netanyahu for not personally reaching out to freed abductees and their families.
Al-Qadi is the eighth abductee to be rescued alive without a deal with Hamas. Previous rescues included Uri Magidish, Fernando Merman, Louis Har, Noa Argamani, Almog Meir Jan, Andrey Kozlov, and Shlomi Ziv. Despite Al-Qadi's release, 108 abductees remain in Gaza, with 36 of them presumed dead.
"point of light"
The headquarters of the abductees' families called Al-Qadi's return a "point of light" in difficult times but emphasized that the only sure way to bring the remaining hostages home is through a negotiated deal. However, the possibility of such a deal remains uncertain, as significant differences between Israel and Hamas persist.
At the center of the dispute are conditions set by Netanyahu, including preventing armed movement from southern to northern Gaza, maintaining IDF forces on the Philadelphia route, and determining control of the Rafah crossing. Additionally, negotiations are stalled over the number of Palestinian prisoners to be released in exchange for each Israeli abductee, the identities of those to be included in the deal, and whether released security prisoners will be deported from Gaza.
Foreign diplomats have suggested that political considerations by both Netanyahu and Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar are obstructing a deal, with Netanyahu's focus on political survival and Sinwar's aim to incite a broader Middle East conflict complicating the negotiations.
difficult days
The former mayor of Rahat, Ata Abu Medigam, said that Elkadi told his relatives "about difficult days, about a very cruel captivity. He tells about one of the captives who was with him for two months and died next to him." Abu Medigham added that for eight months Alkadi was hardly exposed to sunlight. "He would check his eyes, if they were working and functioning - put his fingers on the eyes to check reflexes." According to the army, Alkadi moved between several places during his captivity and was previously held with other abductees. He was recently held alone.
photo: IDF
Comments