Israelis bid farewell to hostage in emotional kibbutz funeral
Dozens of mourners gathered Wednesday in Nir Oz, a kibbutz in southern Israel near Gaza, to bid farewell to Ohad Yahalomi, whose body was returned by Hamas last month.
The nature guide was seized during the Palestinian Islamist movement's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, when nearly a quarter of Nir Oz's residents were killed or taken hostage.
"Sixteen years of joy and light, and the light has now gone out," Ohad's widow Bat Sheva told the crowd of mourners, sniffling through her tears.
"How do I move forward without you? Where am I going?" she asked as a relative held her by the shoulder to comfort her.
Yahalomi, a French-Israeli national, was 49 when he was abducted.
His body was not returned until February 27, in a hostage-prisoner exchange under a ceasefire deal that began on January 19.
"On October 7th you went out to protect us, and it is so suitable for you, a part of you and this is your essence, to protect your family, where........
© Al Monitor
