Supreme Court Justice Neal Hendel
Supreme Court Justice Neal HendelHadas Parush/Flash90

Supreme Court Justice Neal Hendel apologized today (Friday) for sending condolences to the family of a terrorist who died in Israeli prison.

"Of course there was no intention of hurting anyone", Hendel said, "I would like to express my sorrow for hurting the bereaved families".

In the last day, much criticism was heard on social networks against Hendel. who accepted a request by Attorney Kamal Nator, representing murderer Sami Ahad Abu Diak, to delete the petition he filed in the Supreme Court.

The attorney sought to delete the petition after the Islamic operative died two days earlier from cancer, while he was incarcerated.

Abu Diak was sentenced to three life sentences after he murdered 18-year-old Ilya Krivich, a resident of Chomesh, and committed other hostile acts.

However, the judge's decision caused outrage among bereaved family members when it was discovered that on the decision Judge Hendel wrote: "I instruct deletion of the petition as requested; I participate in the grief of the family."

Bereaved families responded by saying "a judge should not offer condolences for the death of a terrorist, even after he died in prison."