IDF Rescues Hostage from Hamas Tunnel in Southern Gaza

The Israeli military announced Tuesday that special forces have rescued a hostage held by Hamas in a tunnel beneath southern Gaza.

Qaid Farhan Alkadi, 52, was kidnapped by Hamas after the terrorist attacks on Israeli civilians on Oct. 7.  Alkadi was found in a tunnel in Mahrat in Southern Gaza during a “complex rescue operation.”

Alkadi (also referred to Al-Kaadi) as was rescued by IDF soldiers from the 13th Fleet Unit, 401st Brigade, as well as Yalam and Shin Bet fighters, the military said.

He is the first hostage to be rescued alive from one of Hamas’ complex web of tunnels. Prior hostages rescued were all recovered from above-ground locations.

The official IDF account on X shared, “It was allowed to be published that in an operation by the IDF and the Shin Bet, the kidnapped Farhan Akadi, 52 years old, was rescued today from Mahrat, who was abducted by the terrorist organization Hamas to the Gaza Strip on October 7.”

“The abductee was rescued by IDF fighters from the 13th Fleet Unit, 401st Brigade, Yalam and Shin Bet fighters, under the command of Division 162, in a complex rescue operation in the southern Gaza Strip.”

הותר לפרסום כי במבצע של צה”ל והשב״כ חולץ היום החטוף פראחן קאדי, בן 52 מרהט, אשר נחטף על ידי ארגון הטרור חמאס לרצועת עזה ב-7 באוקטובר.
החטוף חולץ על ידי לוחמי צה״ל מיחידת שייטת 13, חטיבה 401, יהל”ם ולוחמי שב״כ, תחת פיקוד אוגדה 162, במבצע חילוץ מורכב בדרום הרצועה>>

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) August 27, 2024

The Jerusalem Post reports:

Al-Kaadi is healthy and is undergoing further health checks at an unidentified hospital.

It is the fourth successful operation to rescue live Israeli hostages from Hamas, though there have been several successful operations finding and returning dozens of bodies of hostages killed by Hamas.

He is the eighth live hostage rescued from Gaza, which brings the number of remaining hostages down to 108 from an original round of 250.

Al-Kaadi is the first live hostage to be rescued from a tunnel, with all prior live hostage rescues taking place above ground.

According to sources, the extensive web of Hamas’ tunnels under Gaza extends at least “a few dozen miles,” with other experts suggesting they could extend hundreds of miles and rival the underground of a major European city.

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