Yossi Meir Jan, the father of freed Israeli hostage Almog Meir Jan, passed away just hours before his son’s rescue. Despite being ill, his family believes grief was the primary cause of his death.
According to the Times Of Israel, Jan’s sister, Dina Jan, recalled the heartbreaking moment her brother passed away just hours before his son’s return.
“My brother died of grief and didn’t get to see his son return. The night before Almog’s return, my brother’s heart stopped,” Dina said. “We are pleased about Almog’s return, but the brain cannot absorb that this is the end. We are broken.”
Father of Hamas hostage Almog Meir Jan, 21, 'died of grief' just hours before his son was rescued by Israeli Defence Forces https://t.co/T4Jnqj2Wsr pic.twitter.com/2yJ58kgvk6
— Daily Mail US (@DailyMail) June 9, 2024
According to Fox News, Almog was among the four hostages rescued from Central Gaza on Saturday. The hostages, including Noa Argamani, Shlomi Ziv and Andrey Kozlov, were rescued in two separate locations in a complex special daytime operation in the heart of Nuseirat in central Gaza. They had been held in captivity by the terrorist group for 246 days.
Before Almog’s release, Dina revealed that Jan was deeply invested in his son’s rescue, constantly seeking updates until his health worsened.
“Yossi, my brother, Almog’s father, was glued to the television for eight months, clinging to every piece of information,” she said. “He loved Almog so much, cared for him so much, wanted to know what was happening to him and what he was going through. He could not bear it; every potential hostage deal that exploded in his face broke his heart,” she said.
Dina recounted how she received a call from the army that Almog had been rescued, and the officer told her they had been unable to reach Jan.
“I was so happy I didn’t know what to do,” she said, adding that she went to her brother’s home to tell him the good news. “I drove like crazy, knocked, ‘Yossi, Yossi, Yossi,’ and nothing. I got no answer. The door of his house was open, and I saw him sleeping in the living room. I screamed ‘Yossi’ to him, and he didn’t answer me. I saw the color of his skin. I touched him, but he was dead.”
Jan, who passed away at the age of 57, was buried in a private ceremony on Sunday.