Almog Meir Jan was freed yesterday (Saturday), eight months after he was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists from the Nova music festival on October 7.
When officials came to the home of Almog's father, Yossi Jan, to inform him that his son had been rescued, they found him unresponsive in his Kfar Saba apartment.
Magen David Adom paramedics were summoned and pronounced Yossi dead at the scene.
Yossi, who was 57, tragically passed away before he could learn that his son was finally free from his Hamas captors.
He will be laid to rest today at 5:30 PM at the Neve Yamin Cemetery.
Dina Jan, Almog's aunt, said in an interview with Kan Reshet Bet that "my brother died of grief and did not get to see his son return. The evening before Almog's return to my brother, his heart stopped, he did not get to see him."
"We are very happy about Almog's return, but we cannot fathom that this is the end, we are broken," she said.
Dina explained, "Yossi, my brother, Almog's father, was glued to the television for the whole eight months, clinging to every piece of information. He loved Almog so much, he cared about him so much, he wanted to know what was happening to him and what he was going through. He couldn't bear it, every deal that blew up in his face broke his heart."
Dina said that she received a call from the officer who was informing the family of the news of Almog's rescue saying that he was unable to reach her brother: "I drove like crazy, I knocked and shouted '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 at him 'Yossi' and he didn't answer me. I saw the color of his skin, I touched him - he was dead."
The officer arrived and called Magen David Adom, but it was too late.
After finding her brother's body, Dina went to the hospital to see Almog. "He didn't know what to do with himself. I didn't want to burden him. He said he wanted to say goodbye to his father, but he didn't know if the hospital would release him."
Almog, 21, was one of four hostages who were rescued yesterday in Operation Arnon, which has been named for Arnon Zamora, the leader of the operation who was killed during the rescue.
Noa Argamani (25), Andrey Kozlov (27), and Shlomi Ziv (40) were also rescued together with Almog.