Thousands pay final respects as IDF colonel laid to rest

(JNS) - Thousands of Israelis paid their last respects to Israel Defense Forces Col. Asaf Hamami on Tuesday at the Kiryat Shaul Military Cemetery in Tel Aviv, two days after his body was released from Gaza by Hamas.

Hamami, who commanded the Southern Brigade of the Israel Defense Forces' Gaza Division, was killed defending Kibbutz Nirim from the Hamas-led terrorist invasion on Oct. 7, 2023. He became the most senior officer to have been taken hostage during the massacre.

His remains were held in the Gaza Strip for 578 days, until Hamas returned them as part of the U.S.-brokered truce deal on S...