TV Host Apologizes to Hostage Family After Outcry

Yinon Magal, host of Channel 14's "HaPatriotim" (The Patriots), apologized on Friday to two relatives of the Bibas family following a public outcry over his remarks about families of hostages and fallen soldiers. The families had participated in a book about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. However, the apology was not universally accepted within the family. While Maurizio Bibas stated he accepted the apology, Ofri Bibas criticized the move, claiming it was not made in good faith.

The controversy erupted after Magal called participants in the book "abhorrent people" during a broadcast on 103FM radio with Ben Caspit. Magal suggested the only way they could "atone" for their participation was to vote for Netanyahu in the upcoming elections. Following widespread criticism, Magal met with Maurizio and Jimmy, the uncle and cousin of Shiri Bibas, who was kidnapped from her home with her children Ariel and Kfir and murdered in captivity in Gaza.

During the meeting, Magal acknowledged his words had hurt the families. "I entered a situation I didn't intend, plan, or want, and I simply got into a loop, and it came out very badly, and I hurt a lot of people," he stated. He added that he had interviewed many such families over the years and understood their tragedy and pain, expressing his deep sorrow for causing them further distress.

Magal concluded his remarks with an apology, admitting he should have expressed his support for the families immediately after his initial statement. "I made a mistake by not saying it immediately, and that was not my intention, really not. So... sorry," he said. Maurizio Bibas responded positively, stating, "We all make mistakes, and admitting mistakes is the greatest thing one can do. Not to hide it or say 'no,' I believe you and accept your apology 100%."

However, Ofri Bibas, sister of Yarden Bibas, clarified that she did not accept the apology. In a Facebook post, she stated she was unaware of the meeting beforehand and emphasized that "it was not their apology to accept." She claimed Magal knew she and Yarden would not accept his apology because, in her view, it was not made in good faith. "Nothing was taken out of context," she wrote, further alleging that Magal's actions were part of a "directed campaign of incitement, division, and poison" against the families of hostages and the fallen, intended to promote Netanyahu's continued tenure.