Israeli father who lost his son on Oct. 7 blames Netanyahu for Hamas attack

An Israeli father who lost his son in the Hamas offensive last month has blamed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying "unfortunately, what happened on Oct. 7 is a result" of his policies.

One month into the conflict, an event to remember the Israeli victims was held in front of the parliament, known as the Knesset, in Jerusalem late Tuesday, and among those who attended was Yaakov Gonen, who lost his son Tom in the city of Kissufim, northwestern Israel.

"This government is composed of fanatical figures who support Jewish terrorism," Gonen said while speaking to Anadolu.

About relentless airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, which have killed more than 10,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, he said Netanyahu's government has turned the conflict into a "war of revenge."

"I believe that revenge is not the way. The government cannot enter a war, kill, and destroy in pursuit of revenge. We need to reach out and instill hope in people so that there can be a glimmer of peace, allowing people to live. War is not the solution," he said.

Gonen expressed hope that they would be able to remove Netanyahu, who has not heeded calls for a cease-fire, from power, and in doing so, open the path to peace.

Israel has bombarded Gaza - an enclave of 2.3 million people - from the air, imposed a siege and launched a ground invasion after the group killed 1,400 people and took more than 200 hostages last month.

Netanyahu has already been criticized for failing to prevent the attack, which came amid increased settler violence in the West Bank, frequent storming of the Al Aqsa Mosque compound, and a political crisis in Israel over his controversial judicial overhaul plan.

The Israeli premier had earlier said military and intelligence failures of Oct. 7 "will be fully investigated" and "everyone will have to give answers" but "only after the war."