Bereaved Father Apologizes for Remarks About Hostage Yocheved Lifshitz

Itzik Bonzel, the father of Sergeant Amit Bonzel, who fell in combat in the Gaza Strip, issued an apology on Sunday for statements he made about Yocheved Lifshitz.

Bonzel explained that as a grieving father who lost his son in the war to return hostages, he was pained by what he perceived as disrespectful remarks towards Israeli soldiers. However, he stated that in a moment of emotional distress, he wrote a sentence about Lifshitz in connection with Hamas that he did not intend and for which he now apologizes.

Lifshitz, an 85-year-old Holocaust survivor, was among the hostages released by Hamas in November 2023. She and her husband were abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7th. Lifshitz later made international headlines when she spoke out against her captors after her release, describing the torture and abuse she endured.