Israel rescues hostage taken by Hamas as cease-fire talks resume

(NewsNation) — The Israeli Defense Forces announced it rescued an Israeli man Tuesday who had been taken hostage by Hamas during the Oct. 7 attacks.

Qaid Farhan Alkadi, 52, was rescued from southern Gaza. According to the IDF, Alkadi was in stable condition and being transferred to a hospital for additional wellness checks. His rescue was the fourth successful operation to rescue hostages from Hamas that were alive.

“Israeli security forces will continue to operate with all means to bring home the hostages,” the IDF said.

Alkadi’s rescue comes as international mediators returned to the negotiation table Tuesday as they try to reach a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas.

Officials expect negotiations to continue for at least the next few days as they try to prevent a wider regional war.

Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Charles Brown said the risk of a wider war has cooled slightly but remains dependent on how Iran responds to the killing of a Hamas leader in Tehran last month.

Cease-fire negotiation hurdles

Israel and Hamas both walked away from negotiations recently, but a spokesman for the White House national security team says mediators remained for additional negotiation talks.

One of the biggest points of contention revolves around Israeli forces staying stationed along the border of Gaza and Egypt even after a possible deal is reached.

Israel believes the forces could stop Hamas from smuggling in weapons, while Hamas has rejected this proposal.

This all comes after a heavy exchange of strikes between Israel and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah over the weekend, targeting military sites.

Both sides claimed success.

However, the Pentagon said Israel still faces a real threat of seeing retaliation from Iran for the death of senior Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last month.

That threat adds to the urgency of an official cease-fire.

“We have to assume that Iran remains postured and prepared,” White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters. “We’ve got to make sure we’re postured and prepared. We are. It’s not something we take lightly.”

Kirby noted that two aircraft carriers and other military units moved to the region.

He added he does not believe the recent attacks between Hezbollah and Israel will affect this round of negotiations.

War’s impact on the West

The concerns over the war expanding even more have led to questions over how that could impact oil production.

Both Brent Crude and West Texas crude, the U.S. standard, saw prices surge around 7% over the last three trading sessions before those gains eventually eased.

According to GasBuddy, gas prices remained steady as of Tuesday morning.

Students and staff attending college in the U.S. may also see renewed protests with classes back in session.

Cornell University saw a gathering Monday with organizers calling for the school to stop allegedly supporting the Israeli war.