Bereaved father calls Netanyahu a traitor at anniversary ceremony

During a commemorative gathering at Mount Herzl in Jerusalem, Yaakov Godo seized the moment to confront Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, labeling him a traitor for not protecting his son, Tom Godo, who was killed by Israeli military gunfire on October 7. Godo asserted that the deaths of his son and about 1,200 others that day are directly attributable to Netanyahu’s leadership. He recalled that the family learned of Tom’s death only after the army, a year and a half later, issued an apology and confirmed the killing occurred during the invocation of the Hannibal Directive while the family was sheltering at Kibbutz Kissufim.

Netanyahu briefly halted his remarks before continuing. Godo emphasized the rarity of his chance to address the prime minister and his frustration over the lack of prior communication from officials.