Israel Frey, an Israeli far-left-wing journalist and activist, was questioned and later arrested on suspicion of incitement to terrorism.
Frey was called in for questioning on Tuesday after he expressed joy over the deaths of five IDF soldiers who fell in battle in Gaza earlier in the week.
In his tweet, Frey wrote, "The world is better this morning, without the five young men who participated in one of the most brutal crimes against humanity. Unfortunately, for the child in Gaza who is now being operated on without anesthetics, for the girl starving to death, and the family crammed into a tent under the bombs, it is not enough. This is a call to every Israeli mother: don't be the next to receive your son in a coffin as a war criminal. Refuse this."
His remarks sparked outrage across the political spectrum, with many Israelis, both from the left and right, criticizing him harshly. Additionally, complaints were filed with the police for incitement and support for refusal to serve.
The Police Spokesperson stated that the National Security Ministry and Israel Police's Joint Incitement Task Force quickly formulated a recommendation and sent it to the Prosecutor's Office, which is authorized by law to open an investigation. The Prosecutor's Office approved the recommendation, and a criminal investigation was opened into Frey on charges of incitement to terrorism.
The father of Ella Hamoui, who was murdered at the Nova Festival, wrote, "Is a person like Yisrael Frey, who publicly celebrates the deaths of IDF soldiers, fighters who fell defending the lives of Israeli citizens, still worthy of holding an Israeli identity card? And isn’t there a provision in the law, particularly in cases of incitement, support for a terrorist organization, or desecration of the dead, that will allow him to be prosecuted, not in the name of revenge, but in the name of maintaining the boundaries of sanity, law, and society?"
He added: "It is unacceptable for the State of Israel to continue granting civil rights to a person who has, in effect, chosen the enemy camp, curses the defenders of the Jewish people, and is concerned about the fate of those who massacred families, young people, and the elderly indiscriminately on October 7 and are still holding hostages."