THE Israeli military said today that it has rescued one of the scores of people abducted in Hamas’s October 7 attack.

The rescue brought a rare moment of joy to Israelis amid months of grinding war.

But the release is also another painful reminder of about 110 hostages remaining in captivity despite efforts to broker a ceasefire deal as the Israelis continue its operation against the Palestinians in both Gaza and the West Bank.

The military said Qaid Farhan Alkadi was rescued “in a complex operation in the southern Gaza Strip.” It did not provide further details.

Mr Alkadi is from Israel’s Arab Bedouin minority and was working as a guard at a packing factory in Kibbutz Magen, one of several farming communities that were attacked on October 7. 

Israel has rescued a total of eight hostages, including in two operations that killed scores of Palestinians. 

Hamas says several hostages have been killed in Israeli air strikes and failed rescue attempts. 

Worldwide protests have sparked international action towards achieving a ceasefire that would see the release of the remaining hostages and the release of scores of Palestinian prisoners. 

Ceasefire talks are ongoing in Egypt this week, but there has been no sign of any breakthrough.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has faced intense criticism from families of the hostages and much of the Israeli public for not yet reaching a deal to bring them home.

Hamas hopes to trade hostages for prisoners for a lasting ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.

Meanwhile, the Israelis killed five Palestinians during an air strike on the Nur Shams refugee camp in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday morning.

Israeli forces claim that the attack targeted leaders of armed resistance groups hiding in the camp.

The Israeli authorities have constantly claimed after these mass civilian killings that resistance fighters are using the population as human shields.

Al Jazeera journalist Nida Ibrahim said: “Medical sources tell us they’ve received the bodies and body parts of five Palestinians who were killed in the Israeli air strike on the Nur Shams refugee camp.” 

She said: “Israeli forces have been looking to target Abu Shuja’a, who has been one of the leaders, if not the main leader, of the Tulkarem and the Nur Shams battalion in the refugee camp, and he has survived several assassination attempts.”

Palestinian news agency Wafa identified the killed as Adnan Jaber,  Mohammed Ahmad Elayyan, Mohannad Qarawi, Jibril Ghassan Jibril and Mohammed Ali Yusif.