UPDATE - Israeli army claims it freed Israeli hostage from Gaza

UPDATES WITH CONTRADICTING REPORTS IN ISRAELI MEDIA, REVISES HEADLINE

By Anadolu staff

JERUSALEM (AA) - The Israeli army on Tuesday claimed to have rescued an Israeli captive held in the Gaza Strip since last Oct. 7.

A military statement said the army carried out a joint "complex operation" with the Shin Bet domestic security service to free the hostage from the southern Gaza Strip.

It identified him as Farhan al-Qadi, 52, from a Bedouin community near the southern city of Rahat, saying his health condition was good, but was taken to the hospital for a check-up.

However, conflicting accounts have emerged regarding the circumstances surrounding the freeing of Al-Qadi.

One account presented by Israeli media suggests that Al-Qadi managed to escape from his captors before being rescued by the military, which contradicts the official narrative from the army.

The Israeli daily Haaretz reported that he “was found on Tuesday in a tunnel in southern Gaza and was subsequently rescued by the Israeli army.”

Meanwhile, Israeli Army Radio said that Al-Qadi was rescued from one of the tunnels in southern Gaza and he did not escape captivity as rumors suggested.

According to Israeli Channel 14, al-Qadi was found by the army alone inside an underground tunnel in Rafah in southern Gaza.

According to Israeli figures, at least 108 Israelis remain held in Gaza, including at least 36 dead.

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip following an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas last Oct. 7, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.

The onslaught has resulted in nearly 40,500 Palestinian deaths, mostly women and children, and over 93,600 injuries, according to local health authorities.

An ongoing blockade of Gaza has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine, leaving much of the region in ruins.

Israel faces accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which has ordered a halt to military operations in the southern city of Rafah, where over one million Palestinians had sought refuge before the area was invaded on May 6.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar and Mohammad Sio