“This morning, 13 soldiers from the Shayetet (navy), Yahalom unit and Shin Bet rescued Farhan alive from a tunnel in southern Gaza,” said Israeli army spokesman Rear Admiral. Daniel Hagariat a press conference. He was referring to the rescued hostage Qaid Farhan al Qadi52, from a Bedouin community near the southern town of Rahat, who was working as a security guard at a packaging plant in Kibbutz Magen on October 7.

Al Qadi was kidnapped by Hamas members in the nearby town of Mivtajim and 326 days later he was found in a tunnel in Gaza by commandos from the Israeli army’s elite unit. The operation was led by the Israel Defense Forces Southern Command, the Shin Bet security agency and the 162nd Division.

The military spokesman stressed that the operation was “courageous and complex” and that it was based on precise information from the intelligence services.

Of the 251 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7, 108 are believed to still be in Gaza, including the bodies of 34 of them confirmed dead by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

Hamas released 105 civilians during a week-long truce in late November, and four hostages had been freed earlier. So far, eight captives have been rescued alive by Israeli troops, and the bodies of 30 have also been recovered, including three mistakenly killed by the Israeli army while trying to escape their captors.

Hamas is also holding two Israeli civilians who entered the Gaza Strip in 2014 and 2015, as well as the bodies of two soldiers killed in 2014.

The military did not release further details about the rescue “due to concerns related to the safety of our hostages, the safety of our forces and the security of the state,” the official statement said.

Israeli media and social media showed, minutes after the rescue was announced, a long line of relatives waiting near Soroka Hospital in the southern city of Beersheba to meet Al Qadi, who has 11 children and two wives. The hospital said it had limited the number of relatives who wanted to visit him so as not to overwhelm Al Qadi, who appeared smiling and thin in the footage.

The director of the center, Shlomi Codishsaid a helicopter had flown him to the medical centre early in the afternoon: “We saw Farhad reunited with his family: emotional moments.” He also said the released man was undergoing a series of medical checks and appeared stable and in good condition, and that he hoped his hospital stay would be brief.

“Finally some good news,” tweeted the Labour MP and former party leader. Merav Michaeliinsisting that Israel “must not wait for more successful operations, a deal must be reached now and the 108 hostages must return home.”

The Minister of Finance, Bezalel Smotrichof the far-right Religious Zionism party, said that “the entire nation of Israel was waiting for his return.”

“I congratulate the IDF forces and the Shin Bet for this successful operation. The State of Israel must increase military pressure to destroy Hamas and bring all the hostages home,” he added.

For his part, the Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahutold Al Qadi by telephone that “the entire nation of Israel is excited about its rescue.”

In a separate video statement, Netanyahu said: “Israel is working to return all hostages in two main ways: negotiations and rescue operations.” In both cases, he added, “this requires our military presence on the ground and endless military pressure on Hamas.”

The Hostage Families Forum welcomed the rescue and stressed the need to reach an agreement to secure the release of the remaining hostages.

“He spent 326 days in captivity,” said the statement from the main group representing the hostages’ relatives. “Al Qaed’s return to the country is nothing short of miraculous. However, it should not be forgotten that military operations alone cannot free the remaining 108 hostages. “A negotiated agreement is the only way forward.”