Slain hostage Ohad Yahalomi was laid to rest in Kibbutz Nir Oz on Wednesday morning, following a funeral procession that began in Rishon Lezion at 08:15 a.m.
At the request of the family, both the eulogies and the ceremony itself were closed to media coverage.Vehicles of the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, where Yahalomi worked, accompanied the procession to his final resting place.
“The Israel Nature and Parks Authority bows its head in mourning as Ohad Yahalomi, a staff member of the authority who was abducted from his home on October 7 and murdered in Hamas captivity,” the organization said.
Some 45 authority vehicles from across the country accompanied the procession, the organization noted. “Many employees of the authority stand along the route to pay their final respects, holding Israeli flags and the authority’s flags,” it added.
The body of Yahalomi, age 49 when kidnapped, was returned in late February as part of the first phase of the hostage-ceasefire deal. Forensic evidence found he had been murdered in Hamas captivity.
October 7 massacre
On October 7, French-Israeli national Yahalomi was abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz. He was shot in the leg while attempting to fight off the invading terrorists entering his home.
His 12-year-old son Eitan was abducted and released in the November 2023 hostage deal.