Yossi Meirthe father of one of the Israeli hostages rescued yesterday, Almog Meir-Jandied early Saturday morning hours before learning that an operation was underway to remove his son and three other kidnapped people from the Gaza Strip.
”My brother died of grief and could not see his son again. The night before Almog returned, my brother’s heart stopped.”his sister Dina confirmed to the Israeli public broadcaster Kan.
Yossi57, lived alone in the Israeli city of Kfar Sabaand will be buried there this afternoon.
Dina explained that an Army officer called her yesterday morning to tell her that they had rescued her nephew and that they had called Yossi but they had not been able to locate him. She couldn’t either. Happy with the news, she immediately went to her house to tell him in person.
He stated that he drove his car “Like a crazy person and when I arrived I knocked on the door, I shouted Yossi, Yossi… and nothing. I did not receive an answer”, he relates. He saw that the door was open, entered and found him apparently asleep on the couch, but unfazed by his cries.
“I saw the color of his skin, I touched him, he was already dead”she said through tears.
Israel held a successful rescue operation of four Israeli hostages alive in the refugee camp Nuseiratin the center of the Gaza Strip, where at least 210 Gazans died and more than 400 were wounded under intense Israeli fire during the mission.
In addition to Almog Meir Jan, 21 years oldThey were also rescued alive Noa Argamani, 25 years old; Andrey Kozlov, 27, and Shlomi Ziv, 40who were kidnapped by Hamas at the ‘Nova’ music festival on October 7.
“We are very happy with Almog’s return, but the brain cannot assimilate that this is the end. “We are destroyed”said the aunt.
Dina told Khan that your brother Yossi spent eight months “glued to the television clinging to every piece of information” and that every time a possible truce agreement to release hostages did not go ahead “his heart broke.”
”He lost 20 kilos, he couldn’t stand it in any way. He closed himself off, he didn’t want to see people. “We were all worried about Yossi, but he couldn’t communicate with anyone,” he added.
Almog learned the news of his father’s death shortly after being rescued, when he was reunited with his family at the Sheba hospital where he was transferred to receive medical attention.
(with information from EFE)
