Rescue of Qaid Farhan Al-Qadi

Qaid Farhan al-Qadi (Hebrew: קאיד פרחאן אל-קאדי; Arabic: قائد فرحان القاضي; born c. 1972),[1] an Israeli-Bedouin held hostage by Hamas since the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, was rescued on August 27, 2024, after 326 days in captivity. Al-Qadi is from the Al-Kasum Regional Council, near the city of Rahat in the Negev. He was one of 251 people kidnapped from Israel, six of whom were Bedouin.[2] The rescue operation was conducted by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Shin Bet in southern Gaza.[3][4]

Al-Qadi is the eighth hostage to be rescued by Israeli forces since the conflict began.[4][a] The news of his release was celebrated within Israel's Bedouin community, which lost 16 members during the October 7 attacks,[3][5] although the mood in Al-Qadi's village was complicated by pending demolition orders.[6]

Abduction

Al-Qadi is a father of 11 children and has two wives.[7][8][9] On October 7, 2023, during the Hamas attack on Israel, al-Qadi was abducted while working as a guard at a packing house in Kibbutz Magen. Until his rescue, Israel had not received any information regarding his whereabouts and welfare.[7][8][9]

Al-Qadi initially was held in an apartment where he witnessed and was filmed with a fellow captive's death.[10] He formed a bond with Aryeh Zalmanovich, another Israeli hostage who was later killed.[10] After being moved to a tunnel, Al-Qadi faced severe deprivation, including only being allowed to shower once a month and being kept in total darkness, which made it impossible for him to distinguish day from night.[10][11] He also underwent painful surgery without proper anaesthesia.[10] Two weeks before his rescue, his captors fled after hearing IDF drills, leaving him in an underground room with minimal food and rigged explosives to prevent escape.[11]

Rescue

Al-Qadi with Tat Aluf (Brigadier general) Itzik Cohen, commander of the 162nd division, shortly after the rescue operation

It was initially announced on August 27, 2024 that Farhan al-Qadi was rescued from Gaza in a joint operation conducted by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Shin Bet in southern Gaza.[3][4] However it was later revealed that al-Qadi's captors took pity on him and abandoned him in one of the tunnels used by Hamas. The Israeli forces who found him were not there in a rescue operation.[12] The soldiers found him in disbelief upon hearing Hebrew, and he identified himself to them.[11]

Al-Qadi is the eighth hostage to be rescued by Israeli forces since the conflict began, and the first to be rescued from a tunnel.[a][13] The operation was part of Israel's broader military campaign in Gaza aimed at dismantling Hamas, following the October 7 attack that killed approximately 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and resulted in the kidnapping of 251 others.[4]

Al-Qadi's family was joyfully reunited with him at Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba.[4] The news of his release was received with great joy within the Israel's Bedouin community, which lost 16 members on the Hamas attack on Israel. Some were killed by rockets fired from Gaza, and others by Hamas Nukhba fighters who murdered them despite the fact that they were Arabic-speaking Muslims.[3]

Al-Qadi is the third of six Israeli Bedouins who were kidnapped to Gaza during Hamas' October 7 massacre to have returned from captivity alive. The other two, sisters Aisha and Bilal al-Zayadna, were released in November 2023 during the 2023 Israeli–Palestinian prisoner exchange. As of August 27, 2024, the sisters' father, Yousef, and brother, Hamza, are still being held hostage by Hamas.[14]

The day after his rescue, Al-Qadi was released from the hospital to his home in the village of Khirbet Karkur, which is among the Bedouin villages in Israel that is unrecognized. Celebration in the village of Al-Qadi's rescue was tainted by a pending demolition order of 70% of the homes in the village, as the homes were built without permits. A spokesperson for the Israel Land Authority stated that in light of his status as a former hostage, they would not serve a demolition notice on his home.[6]

Notes

  1. ^ a b The first was the rescue of Ori Megidish in October 2023, two additional hostages were rescued in February 2024 in Operation Golden Hand, and four additional hostages were rescued in June 2024 in Operation Arnon

References

  1. ^ Nierenberg, Amelia (August 27, 2024). "Who Is Farhan al-Qadi, the Rescued Hostage?". New York Times.
  2. ^ "החטוף קאיד פרחאן אלקאדי חולץ בחיים משבי חמאס בעזה". www.israelhayom.co.il. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
  3. ^ a b c d Fabian, Emanuel (2024-08-27). "Hostage Qaid Farhan al-Qadi, 52, rescued by IDF from tunnel in Gaza". Times of Israel.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Israeli forces rescue Bedouin hostage held by Hamas in Gaza". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
  5. ^ "Who Is Farhan al-Qadi, the Rescued Hostage?". New York Times.
  6. ^ a b Lidman, Melanie (August 29, 2024). "An Israeli freed from Gaza returns to a village where 70% of homes are targeted for demolition". Associated Press.
  7. ^ a b שרון, יניב (2024-07-18). "משפחות חטופים יהודיות וערביות נפגשו ברהט: "החטופים הם הבנים והבנות של כולנו"". דבר העובדים בארץ ישראל (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2024-08-27.
  8. ^ a b Michaelis, Tamar (2024-08-27). "Israel has rescued hostage after 10 months of captivity by Hamas in Gaza, military says". CNN. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
  9. ^ a b זיתון, יואב (2024-08-27). "החטוף פרחאן אלקאדי חולץ בחיים מדרום הרצועה". Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2024-08-27.
  10. ^ a b c d Ciechanover, Yael (2024-08-29). "Farhan Alkadi was with Aryeh Zalmanovich in Hamas captivity, family confirms". Ynetnews. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
  11. ^ a b c "Rescued hostage said kept in total darkness during captivity, showered once a month". Times of Israel. 2024-08-29.
  12. ^ https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/s1ia22gtr
  13. ^ "Israel says it rescued a hostage found alone in an underground tunnel in Gaza". Associated Press. August 27, 2024.
  14. ^ Gritten, David. "Israel rescues Bedouin hostage held by Hamas in Gaza". BBC. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
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