Farhan al-Qadi Rescued After Months in Hamas Captivity: "I Refused to Betray My Jewish Friends"

Farhan al-Qadi, who was taken hostage by Hamas during the October 7 massacre, has revealed that he was abducted because he refused to help the terrorists locate Jews. In an interview with Channel 12 News on Wednesday, al-Qadi recounted his ordeal, explaining that he was working near Kibbutz Magen when Hamas terrorists confronted him and demanded he point out where Jews were hiding.

“I was prepared to die rather than point them to a Jew, not even to a cat,” al-Qadi stated, reflecting on his refusal to cooperate. As punishment, Hamas militants shot him in the leg, tied him up, and dragged him into Gaza, where he spent the next 11 months in captivity.

Al-Qadi shared that he was initially taken to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, where he was subjected to mockery and medical treatment without anesthetic. From there, he was moved between locations, spending months in a tunnel under a house, cut off from other hostages.

At one point, al-Qadi was placed in the same room as 85-year-old hostage Aryeh Zalmanovich, a diabetic man from Nir Oz. The two formed a close bond during their captivity. “He told me stories. He talked about his family every chance he got,” al-Qadi recalled. Tragically, Zalmanovich’s health deteriorated, and he passed away in al-Qadi’s presence, bidding farewell to his family and friends in his final moments.

Al-Qadi’s ordeal came to an end last week when he was rescued by Israeli forces. He expressed gratitude to the IDF soldiers but has since faced criticism after being misquoted in the media. Clarifying his stance, he emphasized that he views both Israelis and Palestinians as deserving of freedom and unity, stating, “Ninety percent of the residents in Israel, Muslims, Jews, Bedouins, are together, one family, one people.”

In his final message, al-Qadi called for the immediate release of the remaining hostages in Gaza. “Get them out of there,” he urged, speaking from his personal experience of prolonged captivity.

As of now, 97 of the 251 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza. The IDF has confirmed that at least 33 of these hostages are dead. Despite these tragic losses, efforts to secure the release of the remaining hostages continue.

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