Rabbi Yaakov Chai Yosef, head of Beit Midrash Chazon Yaakov, rabbi of the Givat Moshe neighborhood of Jerusalem and son of Shas’s spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, passed away on Friday afternoon at the Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital.

His funeral will take place in the next several hours, before Shabbat, at the Har Hamenuchot Cemetery.

On Friday afternoon there was a sudden deterioration in the condition Rabbi Yosef, who has been suffering from cancer for about a year. He had been hospitalized in serious condition since last Thursday.

On Tuesday, hundreds gathered in the Har Hamenuchot cemetery to pray for Rabbi Yosef.

The prayer rally was held at the tomb of Rabbi Chaim Yosef David Azulai, also known as the Hida.