Kaid Farhan al-Kadi was rescued during a “complex operation” in the southern Gaza Strip, the army said.
Israel says its special forces have rescued an Israeli prisoner from a tunnel in the southern Gaza Strip in a “complex rescue operation” as the 11-month-old war shows no signs of abating.
Kaid Farhan al-Kadi, a 52-year-old Bedouin, was abducted by the Palestinian group Hamas during its October 7 attack on Israel, the army said in a statement Tuesday.
The military said al-Kadi was in “stable medical condition” and had been transferred to a hospital for medical examinations.
Al-Kadi lives in Rahat, a predominantly Arab city. On October 7, he was working as a guard at a warehouse in southern Israel when he was captured by Hamas-backed fighters along with some 250 others. Israel says more than 1,100 people, mostly civilians, were killed in the attack.
Israel’s offensive on Gaza since October 7 has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians and displaced 90 percent of its 2.3 million residents from their homes, leaving hundreds of thousands in makeshift shelters.
“We are determined to seize every opportunity to bring the hostages home,” Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said in a statement on X.
Hamas still holds about 110 prisoners, a third of whom are believed to be dead. Most of the rest were released in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel during last November’s ceasefire.
In June, Israeli forces killed at least 274 Palestinians and wounded nearly 700 others while rescuing four captives during an operation in the Nuseirat refugee camp in Gaza.
Hamas claims several prisoners were killed in Israeli airstrikes and failed recovery attempts. Israeli soldiers mistakenly killed three Israelis who managed to escape from captivity in December.
Meanwhile, Egypt, Qatar and the United States have been trying for months to negotiate a deal in which the remaining captives would be released in exchange for a lasting ceasefire.
These discussions are continuing in Egypt this week, but there have been no signs of progress.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has faced heavy criticism from the families of the captives and much of the Israeli public for not yet reaching an agreement with Hamas to repatriate them.
Hamas hopes to exchange the prisoners in exchange for a lasting ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and the release of a large number of Palestinian prisoners.
Tel Aviv Tribune’s Imran Khan said Tuesday’s operation took place in the southern Gaza town of Rafah, which borders Egypt.
“Israel wants to control this border crossing, so this will give Israel the impetus to say, ‘This is why we need more control over Rafah,'” Khan said, calling it a “sticking point” in the ceasefire negotiations.
He added that only seven or eight captives were rescued during Israeli military operations, while 105 captives were released in November during ceasefire negotiations, “a significant number.”
“This proves that if you are serious and you want these people to come back, a negotiated ceasefire is the only way forward,” Khan said.
“Yet Netanyahu and his coalition are dragging their feet on negotiations. In fact, they are constantly raising the stakes… They are now talking in the public sphere about the reoccupation of Gaza. This is a real concern for Hamas and the international community.”