Israeli Host Yinon Magal Apologizes to Bibas Family for Remarks

Israeli broadcaster Yinon Magal has apologized to the Bibas family for remarks he made on air that caused significant pain. Magal met with the uncle and cousin of Shiri Bibas, Maurizio and Jimmy, to offer his personal apologies. In a video released following the meeting, Magal acknowledged that his words had gone "out of control" and hurt people, though he maintained they were taken out of context as part of a smear campaign against him.

Magal explained that his original comments were related to a campaign against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and were not intended to target the Bibas family. He stated that during the broadcast, the discussion shifted to the families, and the published segments focused solely on them. He expressed deep regret for the pain caused, emphasizing that he had interviewed many families over the years and understood the depth of their tragedy and suffering.

He admitted that he made a mistake by not clarifying his position immediately after the broadcast, noting that while he later stated he was excluding the families from his remarks, the clarification was not widely published or discussed. Magal conveyed his apologies to Yarden Bibas, Ofri, and all other affected family members, reiterating that he had no intention of causing harm.

The apology comes amid what Magal described as a "hate campaign" by Ben Caspit, who allegedly took Magal's words out of context. Magal characterized the meeting with the Bibas family representatives as "long, painful, and good."