Prime Minister Netanyahu quip that he has lost weight since October 7 sparked outcry from political rivals. In the same exchange he said the Hamas invasion also changed his view on the need for buffer zones beyond Israel's borders and the importance of broad reservist mobilization, according to Israeli media.
In an exchange with reporters late Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to a query about how he has changed since the October 7 attack. His quip that he had lost weight drew immediate criticism from political rivals.
However, the prime minister then elaborated on substantive shifts in his worldview: the October 7 invasion, he said, made him realize the necessity of establishing buffer zones beyond Israel's borders — a direct reference to ongoing military operations in Gaza and along the Lebanon frontier — and the critical importance of broad reservist mobilization, which has been a hallmark of the current campaign.
As The Zioneer reported earlier Tuesday evening, Netanyahu also used the same media appearance to assert that 'we are a state with an army, not the opposite,' and to reject claims of outside pressure on his decision-making. The quip and the policy remarks together underscore the prime minister's attempt to balance personal levity with his security-first agenda during a period of continuous multi-front operations.
2 developments
- DevelopingNetanyahu: 'There is an effort to minimize the achievements' since Oct. 7
- DevelopingNetanyahu: 'October 7 made me realize — we are a state with an army, not the opposite'
- DevelopingMK Gilad Kariv confronts PM Netanyahu in the Knesset over weight-loss remarks
- DevelopingFormer hostage Eli Sharabi responds to PM: 'I lost more weight than him'
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