Gaza Hostage Families Condemn Likud Candidate's Remarks on Fallen Soldiers

Talik Guili, mother of fallen soldier Rani Guili and a candidate on the Likud party's Knesset list, has drawn sharp criticism from families of October 7th victims for her recent statements in a Likud election ad. Guili claimed that if the "other camp" wins the election, "everything we have achieved so far will fall" and "the memory of all the heroes of the kingdom who fought for us will disappear."

She also praised Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, stating he "promised to return all the hostages, including Rani, and he returned them." These remarks have sparked outrage among those who lost loved ones on October 7th or are still awaiting the return of hostages.

Daniel Adir, grandfather of Oren Adir, who was murdered on October 7th, directly addressed Guili, saying, "Talik, you received armor in Likud. Maybe enough with the festival? My grandson Oren was murdered in Nirim on October 7th. You do not own heroism, memory, or bereavement."

Dani Allon, brother of Itzik Allon, who was abducted from Nir Oz and whose body was returned, stated, "The dead from October 7th are the dead of Netanyahu's kingdom." Robi Chen, father of Staff Sergeant Itay Chen, whose body was returned after 760 days in captivity, appealed to Netanyahu, asking, "Aren't you tired of dividing and tearing the nation apart, even on New Year's Eve?" Chen asserted that his son's memory would not disappear regardless of who leads the country.

Gil Dickman, cousin of Carmel Get, who was abducted and murdered in captivity, challenged Guili's claim that Netanyahu "returned all the hostages," noting that his family would again gather for the holiday without Carmel and her mother, Kineret, who was murdered. Chen Avigdori, whose wife Sharon and daughter Noam were abducted and later released, expressed respect for Guili but found her statement about all hostages being returned difficult to accept, as it overlooks families whose loved ones returned deceased. He called Guili's words a "spit in the face" to these families.

The criticism also focused on Guili's division of political camps regarding the memory of the fallen. Former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, whose son Gal Meir Eisenkot fell in Gaza on December 7th, 2023, is a prominent figure in the "other camp" Guili mentioned. Guili's remarks come months after she became a public symbol in the fight for hostage return. Her son, Rani Guili, a combatant who fought on October 7th despite being injured, was killed and his body abducted. His body was returned in January, making him the last abducted fallen soldier to be recovered.