Hostage abducted on Oct. 7 rescued from Gaza, Israeli military says

The operation to rescue Qadi from the southern Gaza Strip was “complex,” the statement said, though officials did not offer any further details, citing safety concerns for the other hostages and national security.

“Kaid’s return home is nothing short of miraculous,” the Hostages Families Forum, an umbrella organization for the relatives of hostages, said in a statement Tuesday.

The father of 11 was abducted from his security job at a factory in Israel’s Kibbutz Magen, the forum said, noting that Qadi had spent 326 days in captivity before he was rescued by Israeli troops.

While the group welcomed Qadi’s release, it stressed that “military operations alone cannot free the remaining 108 hostages,” and once again called for a hostage-release deal to be secured.

“We urgently call on the international community to maintain pressure on Hamas to accept the proposed deal and release all hostages,” the statement said. “Every single day in captivity is one too many. The remaining hostages cannot afford to wait for another such miracle.”

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant hailed “the bold and determined actions” of the IDF and Shin Bet, writing in a tweet Tuesday that Qadi had been returned to his family in Israel.

“We are committed to seizing every opportunity to bring the hostages back home,” he said.

Lior Soroka contributed to this report.