The father of hostage Almog Meir Jan “died of grief” hours before his son was rescued.
When Almog, 21, was recalled after Saturday’s mission, the Israel Defense Forces tried to call his father, Yossi, 59, to give him the good news.
When he didn’t answer, they called his sister, Dina Jan, who ran to her home in Kfar Saba, central Israel.
“I knocked on the door, ‘Yossi, Yossi, Yossi,’ and nothing,” he told Israel’s Kan News.
As Almog (center), 21, was taken away after Saturday’s mission, the Israel Defense Forces tried to call his father, Yossi, 59, to give him the good news.
‘I did not receive an answer. The door of his house was open and I saw him sleeping in the living room… I touched him, but he was dead.’
His body was taken to a nearby hospital. Shortly after, Almog landed in the same hospital after rescuing him.
“My brother died of grief and couldn’t see his son return,” Dina said.
He is believed to have died of a heart attack on Friday.
