Relative of Hamas Hostage Killed in Captivity Accuses Netanyahu of Neglect and Betrayal

Gil Dikman, cousin of Carmel Gat who was killed while held hostage by Hamas, spoke at a protest in Tel Aviv supporting the judicial system and calling for equal burden-sharing and a state inquiry commission. The event, organized by the Movement for Quality Government and protest organizations, marked 1,000 days since the massacre and government failure related to the October 7 attacks. Dikman sharply criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accusing him of neglect and false claims about rescuing all hostages. He referenced Netanyahu’s recent interview where the prime minister downplayed the tragedy, saying the only change since October 7 was weight loss.

Dikman recalled the legacy of Netanyahu’s brother, Yonatan Netanyahu, who died 50 years ago rescuing hostages in Entebbe, contrasting it with what he called Netanyahu’s sacrifice of hostages’ lives to save himself. He condemned attempts to erase the memory of the failures and accused the government of treating the hostage deaths as a political tool. Dikman also cited former official Nitzan Alon’s remarks that the war could have ended earlier and that 40 hostages could have been saved alive, but instead many were killed or murdered in captivity.

He emphasized that the six hostages, including his cousin, were abandoned to die in the name of an absolute victory, and accused Netanyahu and his allies of trying to demoralize the public with empty promises of a broad government coalition. Dikman concluded by rejecting efforts to erase the memory of October 7 and warned that Netanyahu has deeply divided the nation and can no longer unite it ahead of upcoming elections.