Israeli forces rescue hostage from underground tunnel in Gaza

Israel has rescued a hostage from an underground tunnel in Gaza, freeing one of the scores of people abducted during the October 7 attack by Hamas that ignited the war in Gaza.

The rescue brought a rare moment of joy 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 ceasefire in which they would be released.

The military said Qaid Farhan Alkadi was rescued from a tunnel in a “complex operation” in the southern Gaza Strip but provided few other details.

Mr Alkadi was one of eight members of Israel’s Arab Bedouin minority who were abducted. He was working as a guard at a packing factory in Kibbutz Magen, one of several farming communities that came under attack. He has two wives and is the father of 11 children.

The 52-year-old is one of eight hostages to be rescued alive and was the first to be rescued from underground, the Israeli military said.

The Israeli military released footage showing Mr Alkadi moments after the rescue.

Unshaven and wearing a white top, he is seen sitting and smiling with soldiers before boarding a helicopter to a hospital where he was taken for medical checks. He appeared gaunt but doctors described his condition as stable.

His large family and residents from around the Rahat area thronged the hospital in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba to welcome him home.

As his family waited to see him in the hospital, one of his brothers held Mr Alkadi’s infant son, who was born while he was in captivity and had not yet met his father.

“We’re so excited to hug him and see him and tell him that we’re all here with him,” a family member who gave his name as Faez told Channel 12. “I hope that every hostage will come home so the families can experience this happiness.”

Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant said the rescue operation was part of the army’s “daring and courageous activities conducted deep inside the Gaza Strip”, adding that Israel is “committed to taking advantage of every opportunity to return the hostages”.

Israel’s military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said Mr Alkadi was “rescued from an underground tunnel following accurate intelligence”.

Mr Alkadi was held in a number of locations, including in underground tunnels, during his 326 days in captivity, Mr Hagari said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to Mr Alkadi by phone soon after he arrived at the hospital. He said that Israel would rely on rescue operations and negotiations to bring the remaining hostages home.

“Both ways together require our military presence in the field, and unceasing military pressure on Hamas,” Mr Netanyahu said.

Hamas-led militants abducted some 250 people in the October 7 attack, in which some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed over 40,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials. It has displaced 90% of Gaza’s 2.3 million people from their homes and caused heavy destruction across the besieged territory.

Israeli air strikes continued on Tuesday across the Gaza Strip, and Palestinian officials said at least 18 people, including eight children, were killed in the attacks.

Israel believes there are still 108 hostages in Gaza and that more than 40 of them are dead. Most of the rest were freed during a weeklong ceasefire in November in exchange for the release of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.

Two previous Israeli operations to free hostages killed scores of Palestinians. Hamas says several hostages have been killed in Israeli air strikes and failed rescue attempts. Israeli troops mistakenly killed three Israelis who escaped captivity in December.