A hostage in Gaza is rescued by Israel after 326 days of captivity
Israeli forces rescued a hostage found alone underground in Gaza, freeing a living captive from Hamas’ vast tunnel network for the first time since the Oct. 7 attack that ignited the war
BEERSHEBA, Israel (AP) — Qaid Farhan Alkadi was alone underground Tuesday after 326 days of captivity in Gaza when Israeli forces scouring Hamas’ vast tunnel network found and freed him.
“Suddenly, I heard someone speaking Hebrew outside the door, I couldn’t believe it, I couldn’t believe it,” Alkadi, 52, recounted from an Israeli hospital during a phone call with Israel’s president as 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 Oct. 7 attack that ignited the war, and the first to be found alive underground. The rescue brought a rare moment of relief to Israelis after 10 months of war but 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.
Alkadi expressed gratitude during the call with Israeli President Isaac Herzog and urged his country's leaders to 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.
