Hostages taken by Hamas-led militants during unrest in Israel on October 7 that fueled the war in Gaza were released after a “complex rescue operation” in southern Gaza, the Israeli military said on Tuesday. Granted, the Israeli military said on Tuesday.
Military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said that the medical condition of Quaid Farhan Al-Qadi is normal. Video released by the army shows Alkadi smiling and laughing with commandos after his rescue and later with family and medical staff at an Israeli hospital.
Alkadi, who belongs to Israel's Arab Bedouin minority, was alone when he was rescued from the underground tunnel thanks to extensive intelligence on the ground, Hagari said. The Forum for Hostages and Missing Families said Alkadi, 52, “managed to free himself,” but Hagari said soldiers “rescued Farhan from underground, he met our forces underground.”
Alkadi later told Israeli President Isaac Herzog that the other hostages were “suffering.”
About 250 people were taken hostage during the Hamas-led offensive, and more than 100 of them are being held by militants, though many are believed to have died. Hamas also seized the bodies of two Israeli civilians abducted in 2014 and 2015 and two soldiers killed in 2014.
The forum, which has often criticized the Israeli government for failing to reach an agreement to release the prisoners, said in a statement that it welcomed the repatriation but that an agreement was necessary.
“The wonderful news of their return is a sign of light amidst darkness for the families of the hostages and the people of Israel,” the statement said. Living for restoration and killed for a proper burial.”
Developments:
Israel has issued multiple evacuation orders across Gaza, the most since the start of the 10-month-long war, prompting calls from Palestinians, the United Nations and aid authorities to reduce humanitarian access and Absence of protected areas has been strongly protested. “The situation in Gaza over the past day has made it extremely difficult for us to do our job,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said as aid operations resumed on Tuesday.
∎ Negotiations for a ceasefire that would include the release of some or all of the remaining hostages are moving from Cairo to Doha, Qatar, officials said.
The Greek-flagged oil tanker Sovanion, which was hit by a Houthi attack that caught fire and required the evacuation of its crew last week, now appears to have spilled oil in the Red Sea, the Pentagon said on Tuesday. Ejection is happening.
∎ Israel targeted a pickup truck carrying military equipment in northeastern Lebanon late Tuesday, Reuters reported. On Sunday, Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah exchanged their heaviest fire since the war in Gaza began.
Alkadi: You cannot imagine the suffering of the hostages
Alkadi, speaking with Herzog, said he was “extremely grateful to the State of Israel, the army” for his rescue, but urged the government to “do everything to bring people home.”
“Twenty-four hours without sleep, people are suffering, which you can't even imagine,” he told Herzog in a conversation released by the president's office and translated by The Times of Israel. Alkadi said when he “heard Hebrew outside the door, I couldn't believe it, I couldn't believe it.”
Alkadi credited the Israeli army for doing a “sacred act” and said they “risked their lives, did everything to save me.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to al-Kaadi by phone and told him that “the entire nation of Israel is thrilled by his rescue,” his office said in a statement. Alkadi thanked Netanyahu for the rescue, the prime minister's office said.
Who is Quaid Farhan Al Kadi?
Al-Qadi was one of six Bedouins captured by Hamas on October 7. According to Israeli media, he lives with his family in an undivided village south of Rahat, and has two wives and 11 children. Alkadi had lost weight but appeared healthy, his brother Hatim told Ynet News. He is the eighth hostage to be rescued alive from the Gaza Strip since the start of the war.
“We're glad we got to see him and see him alive, first,” Hatim said. “He asked about his family, if his children were okay and if his mother was okay.”
Israel's Channel 12 showed Alkadi's family members rushing to the hospital where they were brought after receiving the news. Talal Al-Karnawi, the mayor of Rahat, met with Al-Kaadi, reporting that he was in good spirits and happy to be home.
“We are all happy that Farhan is back, we can see the color coming back to his face, he is finally seeing the sun, seeing the light,” he said.
'It's a long recovery process'
The head of the Medical and Resilience Team of the Forum for Hostages and Missing Families called the rescue “a ray of light”. But Professor Hagai Levin added that the health status of the other hostages was unknown.
“There is clearly no possible way to save them all through a military operation,” Levine said. “After a few days (back home), they start to realize what they're going through. It's a long recovery process.”
The White House's Kirby says that the US is ready if Iran retaliates against Israel.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby reiterated on Tuesday that the United States “stands ready to defend Israel” if Iran seeks revenge for the July killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. Tehran has vowed to follow through.
Speaking to Israel's Channel 12, Kirby said the Biden administration has discouraged an Iranian response that could escalate tensions between the longtime rivals.
“We believe they are still ready and willing to strike if they want to do so,” Kirby said, “which is why we have an increased position of power in the region.”
This includes two aircraft carrier strike groups in the Middle East and an additional squadron of F-22 fighter jets.
Kirby also told The Times of Israel that imposing sanctions on Israelis who attack Palestinians in the occupied West Bank is “a viable way forward,” after two deaths in the past week have resulted from settler attacks. .
Polio vaccinations for children in Gaza may begin soon.
UNICEF said it hopes to begin administering polio shots to children in Gaza on Saturday if conditions on the ground permit. More than 640,000 children are being targeted for the vaccine, and 1.2 million doses have arrived in the enclave this week, the agency said. UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said on Monday that UN agencies and partners were “ready to vaccinate children” but urged the warring parties to commit to a “humanitarian pause” so that The attempt can be carried out safely.
A case of polio was confirmed in Gaza last week in a 10-month-old baby who was in stable condition after suffering a stroke in the lower left leg, UNICEF said. It was the first case of the life-long disabling disease in more than 25 years. Although there is no cure, vaccines against the disease can provide life-long protection.
Hamas has called on Palestinians in the West Bank to 'escalate the conflict'
Hamas leaders on Tuesday urged Palestinians living in the West Bank to escalate tensions with Israeli settlers after an Arab man was killed in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territory. Hamas urged Palestinians to rally at Jerusalem's al-Aqsa Mosque and called for a day of “anger and mobilization” in the West Bank.
“We also call on our brave resistance forces and our revolutionary youth in the occupied West Bank to step up their confrontation with the criminal enemy and its settler groups,” the Hamas statement said.
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Iran is ready to discuss the nuclear deal with the US.
Iran's supreme leader said he was ready to resume talks with the United States over Tehran's nuclear program, but warned reformist President Masoud Pizshakyan that the United States could not be trusted. A 2015 deal limited Iran's nuclear enrichment in exchange for easing economic sanctions, but the US, under President Donald Trump, pulled out of the deal three years later. Now US officials have warned that Iran is rapidly approaching the capability to build nuclear weapons.
Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said in a video message that we should not wait for the approval of our enemies. “Adding the same enemy in some places is not inconsistent, there is no obstacle.”
American general says that Hezbollah-Israel conflict can reduce tension.
The massive clash, which saw hundreds of rockets fired at Israel by Hezbollah, which sent more than 100 jets to destroy militant targets in Lebanon, did not appear to cause an immediate escalation in violence. , this is a sign that a full-scale war is imminent. Top US general says Middle East has calmed down.
However, Air Force Gen. C.Q. Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told Reuters that Iran remains a wild card that could spark a wider conflict across the Middle East. Iran has vowed to avenge the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last month.
“How Iran responds will determine Israel's response to whether or not there is going to be a wider conflict,” Brown said.
Contribution: Reuters