By Jerald Jimenez
27 Aug 2024, 10:32 AM EDT
The Israeli army has carried out a successful rescue operation in the southern Gaza Strip, announcing the release of Kaid Farhan al Qadi, a 52-year-old Bedouin who was kidnapped by Hamas on 7 October. According to an official statement, al Qadi is in stable health and has been transferred to a hospital for further medical tests.
The rescue operation, described as “complex” by Israel, was carried out in collaboration with Israel’s domestic intelligence agency, the Shin Bet. Al Qadi was freed after 326 days in captivity, in an operation that has not revealed further details for security reasons.
Al Qadi was kidnapped while working at a packaging factory in Kibbutz Magen, about 5 kilometers from the border with Gaza. Army Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said in a statement that they are doing everything possible to save all the abductees.
There are currently 104 people in Gaza, of the 251 kidnapped on 7 October, of whom 34 have been confirmed dead. There are also four other hostages who have been held captive for years, including two soldiers who died.
The Hostage Families Forum, the main platform representing the families of the hostages, welcomed the rescue but reaffirmed the need for a ceasefire agreement to be reached in order to free the remaining hostages still in Gaza.
“We urgently call on the international community to maintain pressure on Hamas to accept the proposed agreement,” the group said.
Al Bat, like 36 other Bedouin communities not recognized by Israel, does not enjoy the protection of anti-aircraft defense systems. Israel wants the Bedouins, who have lived in its territory for centuries, to give up their agricultural lifestyle to live in small, impoverished urban areas, EFE reported.
A total of 19 Bedouins have been killed in the Hamas terrorist attack: seven by rocket fire, ten massacred by militants and two members of the Israeli army who died fighting them, while six of them were kidnapped.
With information from EFE