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Who is Farhan al-Qadi, the Israeli Hostage Found in Gaza?
Israelis on Tuesday celebrated the rescue of Farhan al-Qadi, who was taken hostage during Hamas’s attacks on Oct. 7. But none more so than his family, who raced through the hallways of the hospital complex where he was being treated to greet him as quickly as they could.
“I can’t explain these feelings,” Mr. al-Qadi’s brother said in a video shared by Israel’s official account on X, taken before he saw him again. “It’s better than being born again.”
The 52-year-old, a Muslim and member of Israel’s Bedouin community, is from a village near Rahat, in southern Israel. He was working as an unarmed guard in a small Israeli kibbutz, according to a member of his extended family, when he was abducted.
Israeli officials identified him variously as Qaid Farhan al-Qadi and Farhan al-Qadi; his family said his name is Farhan al-Qadi.
A member of Mr. al-Qadi’s extended family, Fayez Abu Suheiban, said in an interview that Mr. al-Qadi had over 10 children and that the entire family had been desperate to hear from him since his abduction. “We’ve been praying for him every day since,” Mr. Abu Suheiban said.
Family members had gathered at the Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba, a city about 10 miles southeast of Rahat, where Mr. al-Qadi was brought by helicopter. Israel’s official account on X shared a video of Mr. al-Qadi’s family members running through the hospital. It also shared a picture of him and his brother in what appeared to be a selfie.
Mr. al-Qadi looks at the camera, wearing a blue and yellow hospital gown, smiling. “Reunited,” the caption reads, with a heart emoji and an Israeli flag.
Fayez Al-Sana, a cousin who sat with Mr. al-Qadi after his release, said he was shocked by how much weight the former hostage had lost. “He came out different, he must have lost at least 20 kilograms,” Mr. Al-Sana said. He added that Mr. al-Qadi had not spoken much about his time in the tunnels, but that a significant amount of it had been spent in the dark, with only his guards for company.
Mr. al-Qadi’s brother Khatem al-Qadi told Israeli television that the family planned a huge party to celebrate his return. He called for a cease-fire deal in Gaza to allow for the release of the rest of the hostages.
“They are still waiting to see their loved ones back today,” he said, speaking of other families. “We are wishing for all of the hostages to be released and for there to be a deal now.’’
For some, Mr. al-Qadi’s rescue was a reminder of the toll the attacks took on Israel’s Bedouin community. At least 17 Bedouins died. Many more who had worked on farms in southern Israel lost their livelihoods after the farms were ransacked.
Even before the attacks, the Bedouins were suffering from the tensions between Israel and Hamas. Few have access to bomb shelters and health clinics because they often live in villages that the Israeli government does not recognize. Even though Hamas does not directly target them, Bedouins are not always able to seek shelter when the group fires rockets into southern Israel.
At the hospital, Mr. al-Qadi’s brother Khatem watched his brother step off a helicopter, Haaretz reported.
“We didn’t believe he would get out of there,” he said, according to Haaretz. “We didn’t know if he was alive or dead.”
“Today we received a new human being,” he added. “He came back from the dead.”
Gabby Sobelman, Aaron Boxerman and Adam Rasgon contributed reporting.
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