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Israel's PM Netanyahu shares 'personal cost of war' with Iran, faces backlash from Israelis: Here's what it is

Israel's PM Netanyahu shares 'personal cost of war' with Iran, faces backlash from Israelis: Here's what it is

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his son Avner Photograph: (Reuters)

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been slammed for saying that the delay in his son's wedding is a "personal cost" he is paying for the conflict. 

Amid war with Iran, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that the delay in his son's wedding is a "personal cost" he is paying for the conflict. He has been slammed for his statement. Speaking in front of Soroka Hospital in Beirut, which was destroyed by a missile, Netanyahu said that even his family has not been exempted from the cost of war. "There are people who were killed, families who grieved loved ones, I really appreciate that," Netanyahu said. "Each of us bears a personal cost, and my family has not been exempt...my son's wedding has been cancelled," he said. "It reminds me of the British people during the Blitz. We are going through a Blitz," Netanyahu added.

Netanyahu further described the situation as painful for both his son's fiancée and his wife, Sara, whom he called "a hero" for enduring the disappointment. Born in 1994, Netanyahu's son Avner is a former combat soldier in the Israel Defense Forces.

Israel had earlier announced that 24 of its civilians had been killed so far in the conflict. Netanyahu was slammed for stating the delay in his son's wedding as “cost of war.” Public outrage grew after reports suggested Netanyahu was planning to take time off for his son's wedding, which was set for Monday despite ongoing hostilities and threats of anti-government protests. The wedding was planned for November but was cancelled due to the Israel-Gaza war. It was cancelled a second time last week due to heightened tensions between Israel and Iran.

Anat Angrest, whose son has been held hostage in Gaza since the Hamas attack in October 2023, responded sharply: "I've been in the hellish dungeons of Gaza for 622 days now," Angrest wrote on X. Gilad Kariv, a Democratic Knesset member, called Netanyahu a "borderless narcissist," adding: "I know many families who were not forced to postpone a wedding, but who will now never celebrate the weddings that were once meant to take place."

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