Father of Hamas hostage ‘died of grief’ simply hours earlier than son rescued

The father of hostage Almog Meir Jan ‘died of grief’ hours before his son was rescued.

As Almog, 21, was lifted away following the mission on Saturday, the Israel Defence Forces tried to call his father, Yossi, 59, to deliver the good news.

When he didn’t pick up, they phoned his sister, Dina Jan, who dashed round to his home in Kfar Saba, central Israel. 

‘I knocked, ‘Yossi, Yossi, Yossi’, and nothing,’ she told Israel’s Kan News.

As Almog (centre), 21, was lifted away following the mission on Saturday, the Israel Defence Forces tried to call his father, Yossi, 59, to deliver the good news

Almog pictured being hugged by a close relative in the Sheba Tel-HaShomer Medical Centre on June 8

The 21-year-old pictured being embraced at the medical centre this month 

‘I got no 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 afterwards, Almog touched down at the same hospital following his rescue.

‘My brother died of grief and didn’t get to see his son return,’ Dina said.

It is thought he died of a heart attack on Friday.