Bereaved Father Apologizes to Gadi Eisenkot After Public Outburst

Bereaved father Yossi Cohen met with Gadi Eisenkot, chairman of the Yisrael Beiteinu party, on Wednesday afternoon, days after protesting outside Eisenkot's home and shouting accusations including "You murdered your son, traitor!" The meeting, also attended by Yossi Cohen's wife Orly, concluded with a joint statement and a handshake. Cohen apologized to Eisenkot, his wife Hannah, and their fallen son Gal, stating, "I want to ask everyone, Knesset members, aides, and voters, not to resort to violence, to accept differing opinions." Cohen, a member of the "Din v'Tzedek" (Law and Justice) forum, lost his son Amit on October 7th at the Nova music festival, where Amit was defending his girlfriend and her sister, both of whom were also killed in the Hamas attack. Following the protest, it was decided that Eisenkot would receive full Shin Bet security protection, with Unit 730 personnel replacing his private security detail. Eisenkot's son, Gal, a 25-year-old infantry soldier, was killed on December 7, 2023, in northern Gaza during a sweep near Jabalia when a hidden explosive device detonated. He was evacuated to Assuta Ashdod Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.