Survivor Contestant Claims He Paid Price for October 7 Failures

Avi Shoshan, a contestant on the upcoming season of the reality show "Survivor" and a panelist on "The Patriots," has sparked controversy on social media. A clip from his contestant introduction video, published by "HaZinor," features Shoshan referring to himself as "the first to pay for the October 7 failure." He contrasts himself with senior security officials, stating, "Not Herzi Halevi, not Ronen Bar, not Aharon Haliva, I am Avi Shoshan, who was the mythological spokesperson for Ichilov and was fired."

Shoshan was fired in November 2023 after 13 years as Ichilov Hospital's spokesperson, following a controversy surrounding a press conference by hostage survivor Yocheved Lifshitz. According to Shoshan, his termination letter cited that he "did not walk and did not pass messages to the hostage."

In the video, Shoshan also referenced a previous controversy where he attacked Lifshitz on air, calling her responsible for "the biggest public relations disaster since the start of the war." His recent remarks have drawn sharp criticism online, with many users condemning his comparison of his dismissal to the suffering of October 7 victims.

One commenter wrote, "To all those surprised he's talking about 7/10 with such a smile, when will you understand they are not of Israel but of Qatar." Others called him "one of the most unbearable people in the history of the State of Israel" and questioned his "excited smile" when discussing October 7 and hostages.

Hostage survivor Rom Barslavsky, who was abducted from the Nova music festival on October 7 and held captive for over two years, responded to Shoshan's video. Barslavsky stated that he and his fellow hostages were the first to pay the price for the failures and questioned Shoshan's demeanor, asking, "And what's with the smile when talking about October 7, is that supposed to be funny?"