Hostage Survivor's Son Responds to Bereaved Father's Outburst

Omri Lipschitz, son of released hostage Yocheved Lipschitz, responded on Tuesday to the controversy sparked by bereaved father Itzik Bonzel's harsh remarks against his mother. Bonzel, whose son was killed in Gaza, had written that he wished there was a way to return Yocheved Lipschitz to Hamas captivity, stating she did not deserve the sacrifice of Israeli soldiers. Omri Lipschitz stated that Bonzel had not called his mother to apologize and that such comments were not new. Bonzel had published a public apology for his statement, but apparently did not contact the Lipschitz family directly.

The controversy began when Bonzel, who is ranked 29th on the Likud party list, published a strong letter against Yocheved Lipschitz. He wrote that while he had never written in such a style, he wished he could turn back time and return her to Hamas, as her ingratitude seemed to negate the sacrifices of Israeli soldiers. This letter was in response to Lipschitz's claims that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had not freed any hostages and that the release was due to Miriam Adelson. Bonzel countered that it was Israeli soldiers, not Adelson, who rescued her from Gaza, with some making the ultimate sacrifice.

Yocheved Lipschitz herself angrily responded to Bonzel, accusing Netanyahu of using him to distract from warnings he received that could have prevented the October 7th attack. She asserted that Netanyahu's lies and slander would not fool the Israeli public, who understood he was responsible for the failures. She further stated that Netanyahu's method of inciting division among victims of the failure was despicable, but she feared neither him nor his inciters.

Bonzel later issued an apology, explaining that as a bereaved father, he was pained by comments that seemed to disrespect fallen soldiers. He admitted to writing a sentence about Yocheved Lipschitz in the context of Hamas that he did not intend and apologized for it. However, as Omri Lipschitz noted, this public apology was not accompanied by a personal outreach to the family.