Israel Rescues Hostage in Southern Gaza

Latest Developments

Israeli special forces rescued a hostage in the southern Gaza Strip on August 27 after he spent 326 days in captivity. Qaid Farhan al-Qadi, 52, was located in a tunnel by a combined force of naval commandos and Shin Bet officers and repatriated in stable condition, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Shin Bet said in a joint statement. Al-Qadi, a father of 11 from a Bedouin community in southern Israel, was working as a guard on the Gaza periphery when Hamas-led terrorists abducted him and approximately 250 other people to the Palestinian enclave on October 7.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog congratulated al-Qadi on his safe return and vowed that Israel would continue working to return the 104 remaining hostages seized on October 7, approximately a third of whom Israel believes are dead. Hamas holds an additional four Israelis seized before October 7, including two believed to be alive.

Expert Analysis

“The joy across Israel at the rescue of a Bedouin-Muslim Israeli, and the fact that Israel was willing to put the lives of its finest troops on the line for him, again demonstrates that Israel will go to the ends of the earth and will risk its soldiers to bring back or seek justice for all of its citizens — Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Arab, and Druze.” — Mark Dubowitz, FDD CEO

“In the first months of the war, the IDF had little success with hostage rescue operations. However, as the war in Gaza has progressed, Israel has gathered incredible amounts of intel and gained operational freedom that has led to the successful rescue of eight hostages and repatriating the remains of 30. The return of the hostages is not only a moral mission for Israel but also a strategic imperative, as every person that returns from Gaza removes leverage from the hands of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.” — Enia Krivine, Senior Director of FDD’s Israel Program and National Security Network

Hostages Rescued in Four Separate IDF Missions

Al-Qadi’s rescue marks the fourth time living hostages were rescued in IDF operations since the start of the war. On June 8, the IDF rescued Noa Argamani, 25, Almog Meir Jan, 21, Andrey Kozlov, 27, and Shlomi Ziv, 40. Ori Megidish, an 18-year-old private in the IDF who was reportedly held captive in isolation, was rescued on October 30, while Fernando Marman, 61, and Louis Har, 70, were liberated in IDF raids on February 12.

About 100 hostages have been released, mostly as part of a temporary ceasefire deal last November. The IDF has also recovered the bodies of 30 hostages during its ongoing military operations.

Related Analysis

“IDF Recovers Remains of Six Hostages in Khan Younis Operation,” FDD Flash Brief

“Israel Recovers Bodies of Five Hostages in Gaza,” FDD Flash Brief

“IDF Liberates Four Hostages Abducted By Hamas On October 7,” FDD Flash Brief

“Israel Rescues Two Hostages From Gaza,” FDD Flash Brief