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Funeral Rites Held for Last of Israeli Victims of Massacre

June 5, 1972
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Funeral services were hold over the week-end for the last of the Israeli victims of the Lydda Airport massacre. The number of Israeli dead rose to eight with the identification of Mrs. Ruth Gilotz, 47, who was identified mistakenly last week for one of the Puerto Rican victims, She was buried today at Zichron Yaacov where she was born. Mrs. Gilotz, the wife of a retired Israel Army colonel was vacationing in Spain last week but flew back to Israel when she learned that her daughter was involved in a road accident. She was on the Air France flight that brought the three Japanese “Kamikaze” gummen to Lydda. Mrs. Gilotz’s body was first identified as that of a Puerto Rican named Gilos.

Another Israeli victim, Mrs. Sprinze Riegal, 22, was buried at Kiryat Motzkin. Thousands of people, including eminent scientists from abroad, attended funeral services in Rehovoth Friday for Prof, Aharon at the Weizmann Institute of Science, who was killed at Lydda. The 58-year-old chemist, One of Israel’s most brilliant scientists, was eulogized in messages received from scientists and scientific institutions around the world. The burial services were attended by President Zalman Shazar, Deputy Premier Yigal Allon and Defense Minister Moshe Dayan, The bodies of the Puerto Ricans killed at Lydda were returned to San Juan Friday aboard a US Army transport plane. Two Puerto Rican women who were slightly wounded, were discharged from Tel Hashomer Hospital Friday and rejoined the tour that had brought them to Israel. One of them, whose husband was killed in the airport massacre, said she wanted to visit the holy places in his memory.

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