Commentator Yinon Magal Defends Remarks on 'Mr. Abandonment' Book Contributors

Commentator Yinon Magal broke his silence on Tuesday following a public outcry after he labeled contributors to the book "Mr. Abandonment" as "despicable people." During a broadcast, Magal read out names of individuals associated with the book, including Ofri Bibas, sister of Yarden Bibas, who lost his wife Shiri and their children Ariel and Kfir in captivity. Other names mentioned were Jonathan Semeriz, who lost his brother; Rauma Kedem, who lost her son and three grandchildren; Merav Svirsky, who lost her parents and brother; and Eyal Eshel, who lost his daughter.

Magal specifically attacked fellow commentator Yinon Kaspit, accusing him of lying after Kaspit tweeted against him. Magal stated that he had explicitly mentioned that the families of those killed or taken hostage on October 7th would be excluded from his condemnation, a point he claimed Kaspit ignored. "What baseness, what patheticness," Magal wrote, criticizing Kaspit and "all the poison channels, opposition leaders, and the left."

Kaspit responded sharply, asserting that Magal's broadcast presented a distorted picture. According to Kaspit, Magal read out numerous names, including members of the Bibas, Marciano, Eshel, and Kedem families, and Tami Arad, demanding they apologize. Kaspit claimed Magal insisted on this demand multiple times before eventually agreeing, after a significant delay, to exclude families of October 7th victims. Kaspit noted that these families constitute a substantial portion of the list Magal initially presented.

Kaspit further accused Magal of acting with "cold blood" and "brazenly," knowing that families of murder and hostage victims were among the signatories of "Mr. Abandonment." He urged viewers to re-listen to the broadcast segment to determine the truth between their conflicting accounts. The book "Mr. Abandonment" reportedly includes testimonies from families of those killed and abducted on October 7th.