The mother of killed Border Police officer Barel Haderia Shmeuli called Prime Minister Naftali Bennett a "murderer with blood on his hands" in a Facebook post, in response to Bennett's interview given on Tuesday night.
In his several interviews given to Israeli media, Bennett insisted Shmueli "was not murdered but fell in battle while on duty."
Bennett's comments were in response to Barel's mother Nitza Shmueli claiming her son "wasn't killed during operational activity but was murdered," after IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi visited the Shmueli family home in Beer Yaakov earlier in September.
ריאיון ראש הממשלה | אימו של בראל חדריה שמואלי, ניצה, הגיבה לדברי בנט לפיו בנה נפל בקרב ולא נרצח: "אתה רוצח עִם דם על הידיים בשביל להרגיש מה זה להיות ראש ממשלה. מבטיחה לך שעוד ניפגש"@shemeshmicha https://t.co/nH5iffQWMN pic.twitter.com/fhNERXIzyQ
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) September 14, 2021
"Shame on you," Barel's mother Nitza Shmueli wrote on Facebook, calling him a "dog.
"You dare to say that my son wasn't murdered - you yourself are a murderer with blood on your hands.
"I promise you, Bennett, we will meet," she added.
Shmueli later deleted the Facebook post where she called Bennett a "murderer" but went on to write another post, this time calling him a "clown" and claiming he was given the title of prime minister by a Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas.
"Bennett you clown, do you even know what a battle is?" Barel's mother wrote. "The head of Hamas bribed you with a few votes, you are only prime minister because of Hamas," Shmueli falsely claimed.
"You lost the battle with Benjamin Netanyahu, you wuss," Shmueli said of Bennett.
"Barel fell during battle as a Border Police officer while protecting the border, it's as simple as that," said the prime minister in Tuesday night's interviews.
On Wednesday, Nitza apologized in a Facebook post, writing: "My blood was boiling from pain and frustration and it resulted in me writing things in a very harsh way that could have been said differently.
"I do, however, stand by the sentiment of what I said, even as I understand that I should have used different words," she added.
Bennett's comments came after he publicly apologized to the Shmueli family for confusing the names of Barel and his father, Yossi, while talking to his father on the phone when his son was being treated in hospital.
Bennett also praised the fallen Border Police officer, saying the Israeli public was exposed to a "Zionist warrior."