Insurance Firm Faces Backlash for Charging Deceased Oct. 7 Victim

An Israeli insurance company, Migdal, has drawn public outrage after it continued to deduct disability and long-term care insurance premiums from the bank account of a woman killed in the October 7th Hamas attacks for nearly three years. Libi Cohen-Meguri, who died at the Supernova music festival, was a victim of the massacre, yet her death was not reflected in Migdal's internal systems, which kept automatically withdrawing funds.

The issue came to light through an investigation by Kan Bet radio. Libi's mother, Shelly Mashal-Yogev, discovered the ongoing charges and contacted the insurance company. Despite promises to resolve the matter and return the illegally collected funds, months passed without action.

Following the media's inquiry, Migdal responded within an hour. The company issued a public apology to the family, acknowledging the suffering and moral damage caused. Migdal stated that while they had automatically stopped payments for all terror attack victims since the war's outset, a "human factor" caused a system failure in Libi's case. The company accepted full responsibility, canceled all future payments, and pledged that senior management would personally contact the bereaved mother to settle the situation.

Previously, the same insurance company was fined 50,000 shekels.