Deputy Minister Slams News Anchor Over Remarks on Oct. 7 Victims

Deputy Minister Almog Cohen, a resident of Ofakim, launched a sharp attack on Channel 12 news anchor Dani Kushmaro on Saturday night, demanding his immediate suspension. The criticism stems from Kushmaro's comments on the "Ulam Shishi" program, where he discussed the voting patterns of residents in the Mishor HaGafen neighborhood of Ofakim following the October 7th Hamas attack.

Kushmaro questioned how residents of Mishor HaGafen, where 33 people were murdered during the attack, voted for the Likud party, which he implied was in power when the massacre occurred. He noted that three years later, the neighborhood gave 65% of its votes to the "Netanyahu bloc" under whose watch the disaster happened.

Cohen, who witnessed the events of October 7th in Ofakim firsthand, called Kushmaro's remarks "racist" and "fascist," stating they were an insult to the intelligence of the neighborhood's residents and a desecration of the memory of the victims. He emphasized that the town's heroes fought against Hamas terrorists that day, many of whom were elderly immigrants seeking shelter.

In his statement, Cohen directly addressed Channel 12's management, demanding Kushmaro's "immediate suspension" for his "offensive statements against the victims of that morning and against the residents of the city and neighborhood." Cohen also criticized the "deafening silence" of political partners he associated with Hamas, specifically mentioning Gadi Eisenkot's statements about forming a new government.

Cohen, who recently moved from the Otzma Yehudit party to the Likud, is considered a prominent voice on issues concerning southern Israel. He secured the eighth position in the Likud primaries after a brief three-day campaign.