The Israeli Defense Forces released a dramatic video of the moment they rescued a father-of-11 from Hamas captivity on Tuesday morning — bringing the hostage back home after 326 days.
The footage shows Qaid Farhan Alkadi, 52, shaking hands with IDF Brig. Gen. Itzik Cohen as his troops arrived to save the dad from a Hamas tunnel in southern Gaza.
Alkadi, a member of Israel’s Bedouin Arab community, could be seen grinning from ear to ear as he held Cohen’s hand and thanked the brigadier general and his men for coming to save him.
Cohen and other members of the army continued to chat with Alkadi, who was found in the tunnel system appearing disheveled and alone.
Follow-up footage from the rescue operation shows Alkadi giving the soldiers a thumbs-up as they walk across the sand towards the military chopper.
Despite appearing a bit worried about the ride, Alkadi kept flashing a smile to the troops as they rode out of Gaza and arrived at the Soroka Hospital, in Beersheba.
The former hostage, wearing a green shirt, was surrounded by troops as hospital staff rushed to greet him.
The IDF has yet to provide the full details of Alkadi’s rescue, but said the operation was carried out “thanks to precise intelligence.”
The military noted that it did not meet any resistance when its troops reached Alkadi, suggesting Hamas gunmen fled the area.
The IDF has reported previous such instances during its advancements in southern Gaza.
Alkadi said that as he was alone suffering inside the tunnel, he was in utter disbelief when he heard the IDF troops approaching him, the Times of Israel reports.
“Hebrew outside the door, I couldn’t believe it, couldn’t believe it,” he recounted.
As he was reunited with his family and underwent a health evaluation, Alkadi was able to speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, thanking him for the rescue.
Alkadi also urged Netanyahu to do the same for the remaining 108 hostages still being held captive in Gaza, telling him, “There are others who are waiting.”
“People are suffering there, every minute… do everything to bring people home,” he said, according to the local outlet.
Alkadi was taken by Hamas from Mivtahim, near where he worked as a guard at a packing factory in Kibbutz Magen.
Alkadi is the first hostage to be rescued from one of Gaza’s tunnel networks, as all prior live hostages were rescued from above ground.
