The IDF announced on Tuesday that Kaid Farhan Al-Qadi, 52, a Bedouin-Israeli who was abducted on October 7 from a village south of Rahat, was rescued on Tuesday after 326 days in captivity in a joint Shin Bet-IDF operation.

He was rescued by Shayetet 13, the 401st Brigade, Yahalom, and Shin Bet forces under the command of the 162nd Division in a complex operation in the southern Gaza Strip. Further details of the operation have not been released.

The IDF stated that “it is not possible to elaborate due to issues of security of our hostages, our forces and the security of the state. His medical condition is stable and he was transferred to the hospital for further medical testing. His family has been updated with the details and the IDF is supporting them. The security forces will continue to engage in all efforts to return the hostages.”

According to Israeli media reports, Qadi was rescued from a tunnel in Rafah after the IDF expanded its operations there after receiving intelligence about the presence of live hostages in the area. IDF soldiers received a tip from Gazan residents about the tunnel shaft where Qadi was being held. In the course of the operation, eight terrorists in the tunnel were killed.

According to a Channel 12 report, Qadi’s captors escaped, which allowed the IDF forces to rescue him.

Israeli intelligence agents questioned Qadi almost immediately after his rescue as they hoped that as an Arabic speaker, he would be able to provide valuable intelligence information. IDF and Shin Bet forces are still operating in the area so further details were not provided but according to reports, Qadi provided vital information to the intelligence agents.

The videos below show Qadi arriving at Soroka Hospital in Be’er Sheva:

Qadi is the father of 11 children and worked for many years as a guard at a packaging factory in Kibbutz Magen. He was abducted from the kibbutz.

In the video below, Qadi’s relatives run to the hospital to greet him:

Qadi is the eighth hostage to be rescued alive since October 7. One hundred and eight hostages remain in captivity.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spoke with Qadi by phone shortly after his rescue. In the video below, Netanyahu congratulates the Shin Bet and IDF forces on a successful rescue operation and comments that Israel is engaged in efforts to return the hostages in two ways: negotiations and rescue operations – which both require constant military pressure on Hamas.

 Former IDF spokesperson Jonathan Conricus stated: “Israel, the Jewish State labeled ‘apartheid’ by its enemies, just sent Jewish soldiers to rescue an Israeli Muslim from Muslim captivity. That tells you all you need to know.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)