And I ask you to share this widely, for so few know us.
On Tuesday, Farhan al-Qadi (alternate spelling, Alkadi), 52, an Israeli citizen, was rescued from a tunnel deep in Gaza. The details are complicated, and the story is amazing. He was discovered in the tunnel by commandos of the Navy’s elite Shayetet 13. The operation was led by the IDF Southern Command, the Shin Bet security agency, and the IDF’s 162nd Division. Just today it was revealed that the tunnel was in Rafah in the south.
Farhan is seen here in Soroka Medical Center in Beersheva, with a brother whose face radiates joy. I believe this is the brother, Khatem, who later declared that the return of Farhan was even better than the news of a new baby.
The father of 11, Farhan is a Muslim Bedouin from a village near the Bedouin city of Rahat in the Negev. He had been working as a guard at a packing factory in Kibbutz Magen on October 7, when he was apprehended by Hamas terrorists. Please note that the terrorists did not refrain from capturing him even though he was a Muslim Arab. What mattered was that he was Israeli. Nor was he treated any better than the Jewish captives.
All of Israel rejoiced at the news of his rescue; you know, Israel the “apartheid” state. It was enormously uplifting.
A lifeguard in Haifa announced the rescue over the loudspeaker and all those out on the beach cheered. Prime Minister Netanyahu placed a phone call to him, saying, “I want you to know that we are truly moved from the depth of our hearts, for both you and your family.”
A heartwarming video surfaced showing members of the al-Qadi family running through the corridors of Soroka Hospital in Beersheva in their eagerness to see him.
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Farhan had been on a near starvation diet (primarily bread and dates, not provided every day) and returned some 30 plus pounds lighter than he had been. He is frail but was able to stand on his feet and speak coherently in spite of his ordeal. He had been kept in darkness and allowed to shower once in a month.
A fellow captive had been with him for the first two months (I don’t have a name), but Farhan watched their captors kill him. Then he was alone with his captors for a period of time. Two weeks before the rescue, his captors fled, fearing the IDF was nearby; they booby-trapped the tunnel before leaving. Farhan was left alone and had given up hope, worried that he would be mistaken for Hamas. “Don’t shoot,” he reportedly called, when he heard Hebrew through the wall. His rescuers required him to identify himself and then instructed him on how to come out without triggering the explosives.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/395320
The IDF is reluctant to provide many details of the rescue so as to not undermine the possibility of other such rescues. Once it was determined via intelligence that it was likely that a hostage was held in a specific location, the operation had gone into effect.
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And what of the other hostages? Negotiations continue to be pushed by the US, out of hope of a deal that would bring a ceasefire. But that hope has close to zero chance of being realized. Please see the latest report (emphasis added):
“The Hamas terror group is losing control of Gaza’s smaller terror groups, the Jewish Chronicle reported Wednesday, citing Israeli military sources.
“The report noted that some of the smallest organizations, such as the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), the Mujahideen Brigades, the al-Nasser Salah al-Deen Brigades, and the al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, have ‘cut off’ and no longer heed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar’s instructions. These groups hold an unknown number of hostages.
“Only about 20 living hostages are held by Hamas, while the other terror groups hold the remaining hostages.
“According to the Chronicle, 22 handcuffed hostages are still believed to be alive – out of 108 still in Gaza – and those hostages are being forced into service as Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar’s human shields.
“Israel has…had multiple opportunities to eliminate Sinwar – but the orders to do so were not given due to the risk to the hostages who surround him.”
The smaller groups are angry with Hamas, among other reasons, because it seeks release only of Hamas terrorists in Israeli prisons. These groups want the release of all convicted terrorists.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/395302
Sinwar wants his safety guaranteed in any final deal. There are reports that he sometimes leaves the tunnels, dressed as a woman.
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Another example of the “courage” of Hamas leaders:
Hamas leader abroad Khaled Mashaal on Wednesday called for a return to suicide terror attacks against Israelis in Judea and Samaria.
“We want to return to martyrdom operations. This is a situation that can only be addressed by open conflict. They are fighting us with open conflict, and we are confronting them with open conflict,” he said. “I reiterate my call for everyone to participate on multiple fronts in the actual resistance against the Zionist entity.” (Emphasis added)
Mashaal wants everyone to get out there and risk their lives attacking Israelis. While Mashaal himself lives in Qatar, in luxury, with a net worth of some $2.6 billion.
But I love the headline for this article in Arutz Sheva: “Another Not-Yet-Dead Hamas Leader Calls for Suicide Attacks in Judea and Samaria” We’re knocking them off at a good pace, so his turn is may be coming up.
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But this, my friends, is another example of who we are: encouraging life in the face of terrorism.
A new olive orchard was planted [yesterday] in Beit El, located in the Samaria region, in memory of David Yehuda Yitzhak Hy”d, a heroic soldier of the Egoz unit who was killed in action in Jenin. The planting ceremony was attended by his family, army comrades, and community members. Dozens of trees were donated to create the orchard, which aims to beautify the area and enhance security. The public is invited to continue donating trees to this important cause, helping maintain a Jewish presence in this significant region.
Trees are being planted through Zo Artzeinu (Zo Artzeinu = This is our Land)
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/395301
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Keep praying to Heaven for Israel.
Pray for the safety of all Israel.
Pray for the strength and wisdom of our leaders, for the safety of our soldiers, and for the rescue of our hostages.
Pray in a spirit of hope.
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©Arlene Kushner. This material is produced by independent journalist Arlene Kushner. Permission is granted for it to be reproduced only with proper attribution.
