Kaid Farhan Al-Qadi, 52, the first Israeli hostage to be rescued alive from a tunnel, looked gaunt after being released from 326 days in captivity on Tuesday. He was rescued from a tunnel in southern Gaza, where he was held alone.

However, doctors at Soroka Hospital in Be’er Sheva say that although he lost a lot of weight, he is in good condition.

Al-Qadi, who has two wives and 11 children, held emotional reunions with his family members, including his one-year-old son, who was an infant when he was abducted.

Qadi’s relatives, who didn’t even know until today if he was still alive, said that he “ate mainly bread in captivity and not every day. But he is on his feet and he’s coherent. He was constantly thinking about the family and never stopped believing that he would get out of there. We don’t know how he survived, but he survived and he’s alive, and that’s the most important thing.”

The IDF released footage of the first moments after Al-Qadi was rescued:

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)