By James Mackenzie, for Reuters
Freed Israeli hostage Kaid Alkadi talking on the phone after arriving for a checkup at the Soroka Medical Centre in Beersheva. Photo: ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE/AFP
Israeli special forces have recovered an Israeli hostage from a tunnel in the southern Gaza Strip in "a complex rescue operation", the military said, more than 10 months after he was abducted by Hamas-led gunmen on 7 October.
It said 52-year-old Qaid Farhan Alkadi, a member of the Bedouin community in southern Israel, had been transferred to hospital and his condition was stable.
Military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said Alkadi had been rescued in an underground tunnel but gave no details of the operation, citing the security of the remaining hostages and Israeli forces.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said he had spoken with Alkadi, commended the troops for the rescue and said Israel would work "tirelessly" for the return of all the hostages.
"We do this in two main ways: through negotiations and rescue operations. Both ways together require our military presence in the field, and unceasing military pressure on Hamas," he said.
The operation was hailed by Israeli leaders, desperate for good news almost a year into a grinding campaign that has seen pressure mounting on the government to do more to bring over 100 hostages back home.
President Isaac Herzog said the rescue was "a moment of joy for the State of Israel and Israeli society as a whole".
As the rescue was confirmed, Israeli television stations showed a military helicopter landing at a hospital as medical staff and ambulance stood by waiting to receive Alkadi.
"He is in good condition. He is now going through tests," his brother Hathem Alkadi told Channel 12 television, saying Qaid had lost a lot of weight in captivity.
"We are happy we saw him and saw him alive, first and foremost. He asked about his family, if his kids were OK and his mother was OK."
Alkadi was taken hostage in Kibbutz Magen, one of a string of communities around the Gaza Strip that were attacked by Hamas-led fighters on 7 October.
More than 250 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in the attack, in which some 1200 people were killed.
Alkadi's rescue leaves 108 Israeli and foreign hostages still in Gaza but around a third of these are known to have died, with the fate of the others unknown.
The operation, following the rescue of four Israeli hostages in June, comes as little progress has been reported from talks to agree a halt to the fighting in Gaza and the return of the hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
More than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces during the campaign, which has destroyed much of the Gaza Strip and displaced most of the 2.3 million population, leaving hundreds of thousands in makeshift shelters.
- Reuters