Crowds fill the streets of Rishon Lezion to honor Ohad Yahalomi’s final journey 

At 8:15 a.m. this morning (Wednesday), mourners gathered in Rishon Lezion, waving Israeli flags as they accompanied the funeral procession of slain hostage Ohad Yahalomi.

Vehicles from the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, where Yahalomi worked, joined the solemn march. In a statement, the authority expressed its grief: "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 noted that 45 vehicles from its branches across the country would accompany the procession. "Many employees of the authority stand along the route to pay their final respects, holding Israeli flags and the authority’s flags," the statement added.

The procession is set to conclude at Kibbutz Nir Oz around 11:00 a.m., where Yahalomi will be laid to rest in a private funeral, closed to the media at the request of his family.

Yahalomi’s body was returned in late February as part of the first phase of the hostage-ceasefire deal. Forensic evidence confirmed that he had been murdered while in Hamas captivity.

A dual French-Israeli citizen, Yahalomi was abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7 after being shot in the leg while trying to fight off the gunmen who stormed his home. His 12-year-old son, Eitan, was also taken hostage but was later released in the November 2023 hostage exchange deal.