The Miracle in Israel: the Rescue of a Demonstration of the Retaliatory Operation on the Gaza Strip, and the Return of the Hostages

The rescue of an Israeli held captive by Hamas in Gaza was called a miracle in Israel. It failed to quell anger among Israelis over Benjamin Netanyahu’s resistance to a cease-fire deal that would bring home all the remaining hostages.

The military showed Alkadi moments after the rescue. He was taken by helicopter to a hospital to have medical checks, but was not bald, and was wearing a white tank top. He appeared gaunt but doctors described his condition as stable.

Alkadi was one of eight members of Israel’s Arab Bedouin minority who were abducted on Oct. 7. He was working as a guard at a packing factory in Kibbutz Magen, one of several farming communities that came under attack. He has two wives and is the father of 11 children.

Alkadi’s brothers held his baby son, who had not yet been introduced to his dad, while they waited for Alkadi’s family to see him in the hospital.

“We’re so excited to hug him and see him and tell him that we’re all here with him,” a family member who gave his name as Faez told Channel 12. “I hope that every hostage will come home so the families can experience this happiness.”

Last week, after the Israeli military recovered the bodies of six hostages in southern Gaza, Israel’s military spokesperson, Hagari, said the army was working to gather more intelligence for rescue operations. He said that we cannot bring everyone back without rescue operations.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with Alkadi by phone soon after he arrived at the hospital. He said that Israel would rely on rescue operations and negotiations to bring the remaining hostages home.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed over 40,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials, who do not say how many were militants. It has displaced 90% of Gaza’s 2.3 million people from their homes and caused heavy destruction across the besieged territory.

Palestinian officials say at least 18 people were killed in Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip.

With the latest rescue, 108 Israeli hostages remain in Gaza, including 13 whose deaths have been confirmed, according to Haaretz. The Hostages and missing families forum said that the rest of the hostages can’t be freed by military operations. “A deal is the only way to secure the return of the remaining 108 hostages — the living for rehabilitation and the murdered for proper burial,” it said in a statement.

A close family friend waiting at the hospital said the family was overjoyed to hear of the news but still praying for a cease-fire.

The United States, Egypt and Qatar have spent months trying to negotiate an agreement in which the remaining hostages would be freed in exchange for a lasting cease-fire. No breakthrough has been made in the talks this week in Egypt.

Netanyahu’s insistence on a decisive victory has placed him at odds not only with the hostages’ families but also with the Israeli military, which questions whether a total victory over Hamas is feasible and is concerned about a potential clash with Hezbollah. More broadly, polls have shown that a majority of Israelis support a cease-fire in exchange for the hostages.

A long-term cease-fire, the pullout of Israeli troops from Gaza and the release of a large number of prisoners are all goals of the Hamas government.

President Biden reported progress toward a phased cease-fire that would lead to the liberation of all remaining hostages and end the battle between the Palestinians and the Israelis at the end of May. Netanyahu wants the destruction of Hamas andSinwar wants only a permanent end to hostilities but both of them are unwilling to allow an agreement. The Secretary of State was quoted as saying last week that a bridge proposal from Washington was probably the best opportunity for a deal. The last round of talks ended in Cairo on Sunday without one.

Al-Qadi profusely thanked those who were responsible for his liberation but did not join the debate. In a meeting with the Israeli president, al-Qadi urged the government to do everything it can to bring people home.