A HOSTAGE has been rescued by Israeli troops from a terror tunnel in Gaza after a “miraculous” escape from his Hamas captors.
Qaid Farhan al-Qadi, a dad-of-11, was among more than 250 civilians taken hostage in the October 7 terror attacks in southern Israel in which 1,200 people were slaughtered.
But he was safe and said to have been found “in good health” back in Israel after a complex and dangerous rescue mission set him free today.
Reports suggested he may have managed to give his captors the slip before being located by rescue teams headed by the Israel Defense Forces – and could be the first hostage to have escaped Hamas.
He was working as a guard at a packing factory in Kibbutz Magen when he was abducted by terrorists who swarmed from Gaza on a killing and kidnapping spree over 10 months ago.
Al-Qadi, 52, is a proud father and grandfather from a Bedouin community near the southern city of Rahat and speaks fluent Arabic, as well as Hebrew.
It remains unclear exactly how he broke free from heavily armed Hamas militia guarding him.
With how far he managed to flee before picked up inside the tunnel also still unknown.
He was found by commandos from the Israeli Navy’s elite Shayetet 13 unit in an operation led by the Shin Bet security agency and the Israeli Defence Force’s 162nd Division.
IDF Spokesman Daniel Hagari said: “This morning, Shayetet 13 troops, the Yahalom unit, and the Shin Bet rescued Farhan alive from a tunnel in southern Gaza.
“The troops reached the area thanks to precise intelligence.”
Military chiefs say the freed hostage is still recovering after 326 days of Hamas hell at the Soroka Medical Centre in Beersheba, Israel.
Footage shows him being greeted by the Israeli soldiers who rescued him before they transported him in a helicopter over to the hospital.
There his smiling family and friends could be seen waiting to finally speak to him once again.
Professor Shlomi Codish, the director of the Soroka Medical Center, told reporters al-Qadi arrived at around 3:30pm for routine checks.
He was then allowed to see his family who had travelled to Beersheba to welcome him home.
Codish said the reunion was full of “emotional moments”.
Israel’s Hostage Families Forum told The Sun today: “It’s astonishing news – and the first good news to come out of Gaza for a long time.
“It’s still unclear exactly how he got out – whether he escaped or was rescued – but we’re obviously delighted for him and his family.
“We welcome his rescue but need to stress that a deal is necessary to secure the release of the remaining hostages.
“He endured 326 days in captivity and his return home is nothing short of miraculous.
“But military operations alone cannot free the remaining hostages who have suffered abuse and terror. A negotiated deal is the only way forward.”
Al-Qadi’s escape leaves 104 of the 251 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 in Gaza, including the bodies of 34 confirmed dead by the IDF.
But analysts estimate that only around 50 remain alive after many were killed by their captors or caught up in Israel’s massive revenge offensive inside the 25-mile coastal strip.
Hamas released 105 civilians during a weeklong truce in late November, and four hostages were released before that.
Eight hostages have been rescued by troops alive and the bodies of 30 hostages have also been recovered – including three shot by the military as they tried to flee.
The IDF says that further details of the rescue could not be published amid speculation that further rescue missions may be under way.
A spokesman said the blackout was ordered “due to issues of the security of our hostages, the security of our forces, and the security of the state” and called the rescue “complex.”
He endured 326 days in captivity and his return home is nothing short of miraculous
Israel’s Hostage Families Forum
It comes as one Israeli hostage who was freed back in November revealed to The Sun the horrors of spending 54 days in captivity.
Moran Yanai was ruthlessly kidnapped from the Nova music festival and forced to endure weeks of being slapped, beaten and paraded through Gaza like a trophy.
The US has also ramped up the hunt for Hamas boss Yahya Sinwar to try to stop all-out war.
The US military has reportedly shipped in radar to trace the kingpin’s tunnel lair as officials believe killing him could give Israel a way to claim victory and end the conflict in Gaza.
The move comes just weeks after the terror group named Sinwar, the ruthless mastermind behind the deadly October 7 attacks, as their new leader.
ON October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorists stormed the border between Gaza and Israel, slaughtering over 1,200 Israelis and kidnapping hundreds more.
One of the worst attacks saw gunmen descend on paragliders into a desert festival near Kibbutz Re’im and rained bullets down on innocent revellers.
At least 364 were killed at the Nova trance party – an event designed as a celebration of “peace and love” and now etched forever in the collective psyche of Israel.
In the 10 months since, Israel has almost completely destroyed the strip in an effort to eradicate the group and bring home its trapped people.
Israel has hit back with attacks which have eliminated several high profile Hamas militants but also killed 40,000 people in Gaza, according to the region’s Hamas-run health ministry.
Amid international cries for peace, Israeli PM Netanyahu has vowed not to stop until Hamas is destroyed.
It comes as the world continues to hope for a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel.
The US, Egypt and Qatar are trying to come to terms with Hamas to figure out an end to the fighting.
They hope this will allow all the remaining hostages to be freed and the bodies of those who have died to be recovered.
