Former hostage Almog Meir Zon, who was held captive in Gaza for 8 months, will attend his father’s funeral the day after his release, the Hostage Families Forum announced today.

“Almog expresses his gratitude for the support and love he has received, but asks that his privacy be respected in order to grieve.“, the organization wrote in a press release, adding that the ceremony is not open to the public or the media.

THE Dina John, the sister of the former hostage’s father, announced the death of Yossi Zon on the eve of his son’s release.

“My brother died of grief and could not see his son return“, she said today to the Israeli state radio network Kan.

“The night before Almog’s return, his brother suffered a cardiac arrest“, said Dina Zon, explaining that she found her brother unconscious in his house, while going to tell him the good news.

“We are so happy for the return of Almog, we are speechless and the mind cannot comprehend this“, he emphasized.

Almog Meir Zon, aged 22, was freed yesterday morning during an Israeli army operation in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, along with Noah Argamani, 26, Andrei Kozlov, 27, and Shlomi Ziv, 41 years old. They had been kidnapped by members of Hamas on October 7 from the Nova electronic music festival.

At least 274 people were killedduring the Israeli operation yesterday, which allowed the release of the four hostages, it was announced today by the Ministry of Health of the government of Gaza.