Barel Hadarya Shmueli
Barel Hadarya ShmueliIsrael Police

The mother of IDF fighter Barel Hadarya Shmueli, Nitza, responded on Tuesday evening on her Facebook page to interviews that Prime Minister Naftali Bennett gave to the media in which he said that her son was not murdered but rather fell during battle.

"You dare to say that my son was not murdered. You are a murderer with blood on your hands in order to feel what it is like to be Prime Minister. Bennett, I assure you that we will meet again," the mother wrote.

In another post, she added, "Bennett you clown. Do you even know what a battle is? You lost the battle against Bibi, you weakling. The chairman of Hamas bought you by a few votes. Thanks to whom you are defined as Prime Minister? Thanks to Hamas, the murderers of the people of Israel."

In an interview with Channel 12 News which aired on Tuesday, Bennett said, "I was wrong and I apologize from here to the parents who are going through the biggest nightmare that any parent can go through, we are both horrified at the thought of losing a child. Barel was a handsome, charismatic young man, a leader, he also grew up in a pre-military preparatory school, a great Zionist, a benefactor who cared for young men in distress and was mainly a fighter who fought to defend the State of Israel and he fell while guarding the border."

Bennett insisted that Barel was not murdered. "He fell during battle while defending the country and joined too long a line of IDF casualties throughout the country's years. The family is allowed everything and I accept any criticism with love, but when I see political elements tweeting from all over the world about IDF soldiers and commanders - I tell them: 'Stop it'. We have no other commanders and no other IDF, sometimes there are mistakes. War is not a sterile thing. We need to back up the IDF soldiers and not attack them."

Shmueli was shot by a Gazan rioter at close range during Hamas-led on the northern Gaza border several weeks ago and suffered critical injuries.

Following the shot to his head, Shmueli was evacuated via helicopter to Soroka Hospital in Be’er Sheva, where he later succumbed to his wounds.