Israel’s military says it has rescued a hostage who was kidnapped by Hamas on 7 October.
Qaid Farhan Alkadi, 52, is in a stable medical condition and is being transferred for medical checks at a hospital, the IDF said, following a “complex operation” in southern Gaza.
The Hostages Families Forum said in a statement his “return home is nothing short of miraculous”. It said he “endured 326 days in captivity”.
Mr Alkadi is from the Bedouin community – a predominately Muslim area – and was working as a security guard at a packing factory in Kibbutz Magen, one of several farming communities that were attacked last October.
He has two wives and is the father of 11 children.
Around 108 hostages are believed to still be held by Hamas, about a third of whom are thought to be dead.
A large number of hostages were released in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel during a ceasefire last November.
(Clockwise) Chaim Peri, Avraham Munder, Alex Dancyg,Yagev Buchshtab, Nadav Popplewell and Yoram Metzger. Pic: The Hostages Families Forum/AP
Last week, the IDF said it recovered the bodies of six hostages in an overnight operation in Gaza.
The recovery of the hostages come as the United States, Egypt and Qatar are trying to mediate a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.
Sky News’ Middle East correspondent Alistair Bunkall said the ongoing negotiations are currently happening on a “much lower level” than they previously have been.
“The main division between Israel and Hamas is the ongoing presence of Israeli forces in Gaza, particularly in the Philadelphi and Netzarim corridors,” Bunkall said.
He said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is insisting that forces remain in the territory for security and strategic reasons, as he wants to prevent Hamas from rearming using routes like the Philadelphi corridor – the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt – which was used by the militant group for many years.
“Hamas say they don’t want to do a deal unless Israeli forces withdraw. That is one of the main reasons why talks have continued to fail,” Bunkall said.
Mr Netanyahu has faced intense criticism from families of the hostages and much of the Israeli public for not yet reaching a deal with Hamas to bring them home.
Hamas-led militants abducted around 250 people in the 7 October attack, in which some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed in excess of 40,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials, who do not distinguish between civilians and fighters.