WATCH: Thousands mourn American-Israeli terror victim Elan Ganeles, 26

The assailants were captured during the same afternoon.

By World Israel News Staff

Thousands of people throughout Israel gathered in the city of Ra’anana, north of Tel Aviv, to attend the funeral of  Elan Ganeles, who was murdered Monday by a Palestinian terrorist near the Dead Sea.

“He was the biggest gift in our lives. He wanted so much to see the world and all its aspects,” his mother, Carolyn, told the crowd.

“He was so loved, he will be missed so much. We feel like a part of our being has been taken from us,” she said.

A native of Connecticut, Ganales had worked as a geospatial analyst at the university’s Center for International Earth Science Information Network. He also served in the IDF.

The mourners sang Hatikvah (Hebrew for ‘The Hope’), Israel’s national anthem.

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