Hostage Soldier's Mother Faces Online Abuse for Government Criticism

Dr. Maayan Sherman, mother of Ron Sherman, who was abducted by Hamas to Gaza and later killed by Israeli Air Force strikes, is enduring severe online harassment and hateful comments. In a Facebook post on Sunday, Sherman shared screenshots of the abuse, expressing her despair with phrases like, "I think we need a mudslide like in Nepal here. Nothing else will fix what he did here. This is not my people. To the trees!" Some comments directly attacked her, with one user stating, "You kill your son anew every day." Another commenter wrote, "Even if you are a bereaved mother and use it politically, don't expect to be treated as a bereaved mother, you will be treated exactly like a politician."

Sherman also posted other negative reactions, including one calling her a "pathetic Kaplanist leftist. Bibi is the King of Israel." This follows a similar wave of harsh responses last week after she criticized singer Eden Ben Zaken for performing for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara. Sherman had previously stated that anyone continuing to fund Ben Zaken, including through shows like "The Voice," was "spitting on Ron's grave."

Since her son's abduction and death, Sherman has been a vocal critic of the government and the Prime Minister on social media. Earlier this month, she announced her daughter is set to enlist in a combat unit in three months and vowed to pull her out if the current government remains in power, encouraging other mothers to do the same.

In another instance, Sherman attacked a video released by Netanyahu targeting Gadi Eisenkot, which featured a young man resembling Eisenkot's late son. Sherman commented, "This is exactly how every bereaved parent dreams of meeting their son. How much evil. When I thought there was no lower point, they managed to sink another floor."

Ron Sherman served in the Gaza Coordination and Liaison Office and was abducted alive on October 7. His body was recovered and returned to Israel in December 2023, along with the bodies of Nick Beizer and Eli Toledano. An IDF investigation suggests the three were likely killed by an Air Force strike in the area where they were being held.