Hostage families storm Gaza border in call for release of loved ones
(Video: Herzl Yosef, Hostages and Missing Families Forum )
Family members of Israeli hostages held by Hamas breached the border fence on Thursday morning and ran into Gaza in a call for the release of their loved ones.
The demonstrators arrived at the Gaza border sector as part of a protest convoy that departed from Tel Aviv the day before.
Upon reaching the border, demonstrators set up powerful speakers on a crane near the border fence. They called out to their loved ones held captive by Hamas and urged for a deal to secure their release.
At one point, demonstrators, some wearing shirts stained with red to symbolize blood, breached the border fence and sprinted toward the Palestinian enclave. At the request of security forces, they returned after 22 minutes.
On Tuesday, the IDF rescued Qaid Farhan Alkadi, 52, after 326 days in Hamas captivity. Alkadi, a resident of the Rahat area, was taken hostage on October 7 while working as a guard at Kibbutz Magen near the Gaza border.
The rescue took place in a tunnel in southern Gaza, where Alkadi was found alone during a complex operation involving Shayetet 13, the 401st Brigade, Yahalom and Shin Bet forces under the command of the 162nd Division.
Alkadi, married and a father of 11, was taken to a hospital in stable condition and was discharged Wednesday afternoon. His brother, Hathem, expressed the family’s relief, saying, "We are happy to receive the news and hope to see him recover."