go through Jack Lapham, bbc news
ReutersThe father of an Israeli hostage rescued during a military operation in Gaza died the day before he was to be reunited with his son, a relative said.
Almog Meir Jan, 22, was kidnapped from the Nova music festival on October 7 and held in Gaza for eight months.
He was one of four hostages rescued from central Gaza on Saturday in an air and ground attack that also killed dozens of Palestinians.
Almog’s sister, Dina, told Israeli broadcaster Kan that in the months before Almog’s release, his father Yossi’s health deteriorated and he was “addicted to television.”
Ms Jane said: “He was worried about him (Almog) falling into the hands of a murderer, worried about what had happened to him and what he was going through.”
Yossi Jane is believed to have died of a heart attack.
“My brother died of grief and didn’t get to see his son come back,” Dina Jean said.
The rescue of Almog Young and three other hostages prompted cheers and relief in Israel, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netiyanghu praising the special forces’ “creative and courageous” operation.
But the humanitarian toll from the operation, including a series of Israeli airstrikes, prompted condemnation.
Hamas Ministry of Health in Gaza stated 274 people died during the operation. If confirmed, it would be one of the deadliest days in Gaza since the conflict began.
An Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman said the death toll was less than 100.
At a summit in Doha on Sunday, Qatar’s prime minister called for increased global pressure on Israel to stop its “barbaric aggression” in Gaza.
The EU’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, condemned the killing as “another massacre against civilians”.
Instead of condemning Hamas for hiding behind civilians, the EU blames Israel for saving its citizens, an Israeli minister said.
Israeli troops, backed by airstrikes, engaged in a fierce gun battle with Hamas in the Nuserat area in what the IDF described as a “high-risk, complex mission” based on “precise” intelligence.
ReutersIn addition to Almog Meir Young, hostages including 26-year-old Noah Agamani, 27-year-old Andrei Kozlov and 41-year-old Shlomi Ziv were also rescued during the operation .
Some 116 people abducted in October remain in custody. More than a third of them are confirmed dead, but it is believed the number may be higher.
Benjamin Netanyahu visited four returned hostages in the hospital, telling one of them “we have not given up on you for a moment.”
“We want Hamas to release them all. But if they don’t, we will do everything we can to get them all home,” Mr Netanyahu said outside the hospital.
On Sunday, the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said 37,084 people had died since the conflict began.
