Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu drew sharp criticism from bereaved families on Tuesday night after comments he made during an interview on Channel 14 about how he has changed since the October 7th massacre.
Asked what had changed for him personally since the attack, Netanyahu initially responded, "I lost a little weight," before turning to a broader discussion of his leadership during the war.
The prime minister said the massacre reinforced his belief that Israel must remain "a state with an army, and not the other way around." He said he personally made many of the key wartime decisions, including ordering the full mobilization of reserve forces from the first day of the conflict.
Netanyahu also highlighted a series of military operations carried out during the war, including the reported pager operation targeting Hezbollah members, the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, strikes on the group's missile stockpiles, operations in Syria, and attacks on Iran.
Referring to the operations against Iran, Netanyahu said Israel had entered the country twice "to save us from the annihilation of atomic bombs." Asked whether additional strikes could take place, he replied, "If needed. As long as I am prime minister, Iran will not have nuclear weapons."
His opening remark about losing weight prompted an emotional backlash from members of the October Council, an organization representing bereaved families.
Yoram Yehudai, whose son Ron Yehudai was murdered at the Supernova festival on October 7, criticized the Prime Minister in a social media post.
"My son was murdered on October 7. My world ended that day. And when you're asked what changed for you since then, the answer is, 'I lost a little weight,'" Yehudai wrote. "This is not only a hurtful answer; it reflects a complete disconnect between those who lead the country and the people who lost everything. Don't talk about your weight-answer how you take responsibility for what happened to our children."
Ayal Eshel, the father of IDF lookout Roni Eshel, who was killed during the Hamas attack, also condemned the remarks.
"I, too, have lost weight since October 7," he wrote. "There is no appetite when you are raising a dead daughter."