Israel-Gaza live updates: Israel rescues another Gaza hostage

As the Israel-Hamas war continues, the latest round of cease-fire discussions continues in the Middle East, even with Hamas rejecting the latest iteration over the weekend.

The United States and its allies continue to plead for a cease-fire deal.

Latest Developments

Aug 27, 1:25 PM

Hostage was alone when found by Israeli forces

Qaid Farhan Alkadi was alone when he was located by Israeli forces in a tunnel in Gaza, Israel Defense Forces officials told ABC News.

In the last few days, IDF and Israeli security agency forces had been operating in the area where Alkadi was found and rescued, according to IDF officials. The forces operated underground, in a complex environment where there was suspicion of the presence of hostages, terrorists and explosives, the officials said.

Farhan was located by Israeli forces when he was alone, without his captors, and was rescued from the tunnel, the officials added.

-ABC News' Dana Savir

Aug 27, 12:01 PM

Hostage families renew calls for cease-fire after hostage rescue

Hostage families are calling for an immediate cease-fire, calling the rescue of Kaid Farhan Al-Qadi -- a Bedouin father of 11 from south of Rahat -- from a tunnel in Gaza, "nothing short of miraculous," in a statement.

"However, we must remember: military operations alone cannot free the remaining 108 hostages, who have suffered 326 days of abuse and terror. A negotiated deal is the only way forward," the hostage families said in a press release.

Al-Qadi was kidnapped from his security job at Kibbutz Magen's packing factory on Oct. 7. He is the eighth hostage that Israeli forces have rescued alive since Oct. 7, according to an IDF official.

"Every single day in captivity is one too many. The remaining hostages cannot afford to wait for another such miracle," hostage families said.

-ABC News' Dana Savir

Aug 27, 10:38 AM

Israel to use ‘all means’ to return remaining hostages

IDF spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari told a press conference on Tuesday of the “complex rescue mission” that freed Qaid Farhan Alkadi from a tunnel in the southern Gaza Strip.

“He is back home in Israel,” Hagari said of Alkadi. He is only the eighth hostage rescued alive from Gaza by the IDF, and the first rescued alive from a tunnel under the strip. Alkadi was among scores of people seized in southern Israel during the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attack.

“We cannot go into many details of this special operation but I can share that Israeli commandos rescued Qaid Farhan Alkadi from an underground tunnel, following accurate intelligence,” Hagari said.

“His medical condition is stable and he will undergo examinations in hospital. His family had been waiting 326 days to receive the news they did today.”

“But there are still 108 hostages, whose families are still waiting to hear news that their loved ones are home. And they should know that we will not rest until we fulfill our mission to bring all our hostages back home.”

“We will pursue the return of our hostages through all means possible. I repeat, through all means possible."

-ABC News’ Morgan Winsor

Aug 27, 10:26 AM

Israeli forces rescue hostage from Gaza

The Israeli military announced Tuesday that it had rescued an Arab citizen of Israel who was among scores of people abducted in the Hamas-led Oct. 7 terror attack.

Qaid Farhan Alkadi, 52, from the Bedouin town of Rahat in southern Israel, was rescued "in a complex operation in the southern Gaza Strip," according to Israeli authorities. He is the eighth Israeli hostage to be rescued alive from Gaza by the Israel Defense Forces and the first hostage to be rescued alive from a tunnel in the war-torn territory, an Israeli official said.

An Israeli source told ABC News that Alkadi is currently at Soroka Medical Center in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba.

In a joint statement, the IDF and Israel Securities Authority said Alkadi "is in a stable medical condition and is being transferred for medical checks at a hospital." A spokesperson for the Soroka Medical Center told ABC News he "is fully conscious and in good general condition." The spokesperson added that Alkadi had "already met with a family member with great excitement."

The Hostages Families Forum -- a group representing family members of those taken hostage on Oct. 7 -- said in a statement that it "commends the rescue." It described Alkadi's return home as "nothing short of miraculous," adding: "We must remember: military operations alone cannot free the remaining 108 hostages, who have suffered 326 days of abuse and terror. A negotiated deal is the only way forward."

MORE: At DNC, parents of Israeli-American hostage make emotional plea for cease-fire deal

Israeli President Isaac Herzog wrote on X: "This is a happy moment for the State of Israel and for Israeli society as a whole. I wish for the immediate and speedy return of our 108 abductees who are brutally held captive in Gaza."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said the leader had spoken with Alkadi by phone. "The prime minister congratulated Farhan and told him that the entire Israeli people are excited by his release," the office said in a statement. "The prime minister clarified in the conversation that he will continue to do everything to return all our abductees home."

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said the "bold and determined" operation "joins a series of impressive operational activities, which bring us closer to achieving all the goals of the war."

-ABC News' Morgan Winsor, Jordana Miller, Dana Savir and Anna Brund

Aug 27, 5:17 AM

Top US general ends Israel visit

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. CQ Brown, Jr. has completed a visit to Israel amid intensifying fighting across the Lebanese border and continued uncertainty about a potential Iranian attack on Israel.

Brown met with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Israeli Chief of the General Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi in Tel Aviv on Monday. The officials discussed Hezbollah’s weekend rocket and drone attack and the “need to de-escalate tensions to avoid a broader conflict,” per a Pentagon readout.

Hezbollah launched its attack in retaliation for Israel's killing of Fouad Shukr in Beirut last month.

Brown told Reuters during his return trip to the U.S. that Iran may still be preparing a response to the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last month, an operation Iran has blamed on Israel.

“How Iran responds will dictate how Israel responds, which will dictate whether there is going to be a broader conflict or not,” Brown said, adding he believed Iranian leaders “want to do something that sends a message but they also, I think … don't want to do something that's going to create a broader conflict.”

-ABC News’ Luis Martinez

Aug 26, 3:27 PM

Cease-fire talks moving forward after strikes: Kirby

Cease-fire talks are now moving forward at a working group level in Cairo over the next few days to hammer out specifics, according to National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby.

This weekend's strikes by Israel and Hezbollah have "not affected the actual work on the ground by the teams trying to get this cease-fire deal in place," Kirby told reporters Monday.

Kirby also rejected any suggestion that talks broke down this weekend, instead saying they were "constructive" enough to work on "finer details" at lower levels.

"There was no breakdown," he said. "They made enough progress that they were willing to, or needed to transition to a working group level so you didn't need the mediators all there and the leadership there."

Brett McGurk, a top senior adviser on the Middle East at the White House, stayed in Cairo an extra day to kick off the meetings and is still there, Kirby said, adding that all parties are being represented in these discussions.

"One issue that will be for the working groups to flesh out is the exchange of hostages and prisoners that Israel's holding -- what that exchange looks like, how many, some of the details of exactly who will be released on either side and at what pace, those kinds of things," Kirby said.

-ABC News' Justin Gomez

Aug 26, 12:32 PM

Al-Aqsa Hospital still operating despite evacuations

Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al Balah is still operating, despite new temporary evacuation orders from Israeli forces to leave the surrounding area near the hospital.

Out of the 650 patients in Al-Aqsa Hospital, only 100 remain in the hospital that are being treated, the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health said.

The Israel Defense Forces acknowledged they have been "operating in recent days in the Deir al Balah area," but they said the evacuation orders did not include "the hospitals and medical facilities in the area," in response to an inquiry from ABC News.

Three out of 18 water wells are still functioning in Deir al Balah due to "ongoing military operations," the U.N. Agency for Palestinian Refugees said in a post Monday.

-ABC News' Diaa Ostaz and Jordana Miller

Aug 26, 9:07 AM

World Food Programme operations 'severely hampered' in Gaza

The World Food Programme, the U.N.'s worldwide food assistance program, is being "severely hampered" by the "intensifying conflict" in Gaza.

The agency said border crossings have been limited and roads in Gaza have become so unusable that urgent repairs are needed in order to transport basic needs, like food and medicine.

"Transporting food, water, medicine and hygiene equipment is critical for the survival of communities in Gaza today and will be needed for months to come," Antoine Renard, the country director for Gaza, said in a statement. "Roads are part of this lifeline."

Aug 25, 6:26 PM

Hospital in central Gaza under evacuation order after nearby explosion

Israeli forces issued an evacuation order in the vicinity of the Al Aqsa Hospital, Deir Al Balah, in central Gaza, urging people to flee, according to a statement from Doctors Without Borders Sunday.

"An explosion approximately 250 meters away triggered panic with many choosing to leave the hospital," the organization said.

Of the approximately 650 patients in the hospital prior to the explosion, only 100 remain, with seven in the intensive care unit, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

Doctors Without Borders is considering suspending wound care for the time being, while trying to maintain lifesaving treatment, according to the statement.

"This situation is unacceptable," the organization said. "Al Aqsa has been operating well beyond capacity for weeks due to the lack of alternatives for patients. All warring parties must respect the hospital, as well as patients' access to medical care."

Aug 26, 12:30 AM

Sirens sound in Tel Aviv as Hamas fires rocket from Gaza

Sirens sounded in Tel Aviv Sunday night for the first time since January as Hamas launched a single rocket toward central Israel.

The Israel Defense Forces said the Hamas rocket fell into an "open area" in Rishon LeTsiyon, south of Tel Aviv.

Israeli emergency services officials said no one was injured by the rocket, but a 26-year-old woman was hurt going to a shelter.

Hamas confirmed it fired an "M90" rocket at Tel Aviv.

-ABC News Victoria Beaule