Bereaved father grilled by cops after scrap with right-wing activist at hostage rally
Gadi Kedem, who had 6 family members murdered on October 7, seen in video fighting with man who reportedly said ‘it’s good that your children died’ before allegedly beating him
Gadi Kedem, whose daughter, son-in-law and their three children were murdered by Hamas on October 7, was questioned under caution by police on Sunday, a day after he was allegedly beaten by right-wing activists during a clash at a rally in Tel Aviv.
Kedem arrived at a police station in Tel Aviv on Sunday after being summoned by the police following the incident, which occurred at a rally in Tel Aviv on Saturday evening calling for the return of the hostages being held in Gaza.
According to a Channel 12 news report, Kedem was subsequently questioned by police under caution on suspicion of assault.
On October 7, Kedem’s daughter Tamar, son-in-law Yonatan and three grandchildren, Shahar, Arbel and Omer, were all murdered by Hamas in their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz. Yonatan’s mother, Carol, was also slain that day.
In video from Saturday evening, a man can be seen arguing with a group of protesters while clutching a sign, which reporters said read “leftist traitors.” Gadi’s wife, Reuma, can be seen trying to grab the sign, and the man moves forward, at which point Gadi lunges toward him.
In a video statement not long afterward, Kedem can be seen bleeding from the head, as his wife Reuma said that the man who approached them told them that “it’s good that your children died” and called them “smelly leftists.”
Gadi chimed in to claim that police let their attackers go free and instead detained him after the attack.
עוד זווית מתקיפת ראומה וגדי קדם אמש על ידי תומכי נתניהו. אחרי שביביסטים התעמתו עם ראומה והחזיקו שלט ״שמאלנים בוגדים״ ואמרו לה ״טוב שהרגו את הילדים שלכם״ ראומה ניסתה לקחת לתומך נתניהו את השלט מהיד והוא הכה אותה באגרוף. שניה לאחר מכן גדי חוצה את הגדר. מהזווית הזאת נראה שהוא הודף את… pic.twitter.com/KJrKjpgyNE
— בר שם-אור Bar Shem-Ur (@Bar_ShemUr) May 19, 2024
Channel 13 news reported that the suspect involved in the incident with Kedem had not been arrested.
Police said they detained two people suspected of the assault on Kedem. However, Channel 12 said that at least one of them was immediately released at the scene. Kedem was taken to the hospital by medics.
גדי קדם בעלה של ראומה ש-6 מקרובי משפחתם נרצחו הוכה לפי עדויות על ידי אדם עם שלט שמאלנים בוגדים ונפצע בראשו. הוא פונה לבית חולים. ״ביביסט קילל אותנו אמר לנו טוב שהילדים מתו…יא מנוולת יא שמאלנית מסריחה והשוטרים עומדים…. והביביסט ברח. הוא עמד איתם… היה לו שלט שמאלנים בוגדים"… pic.twitter.com/3KjdXvmrkQ
— Bar Peleg (@bar_peleg) May 18, 2024
Opposition Leader Yair Lapid denounced the attack on Kedem, calling it “impossible to accept” violence against bereaved family members and relatives of the hostages.
In an interview on 103FM radio on Sunday, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, whose ministry controls the police force, said, “When I saw the images of the Kedem family, I saw him punching and attacking right-wing protesters.”
Rally organizers said more than 100,000 protesters took part in the demonstration, the latest in months of fiery protests demanding the government bring home the more than 100 hostages still held in Gaza, 225 days after they were kidnapped.
The protests came a day after the bodies of four hostages — Shani Louk, Amit Buskila, Itzhak Gelerenter and Ron Benjamin — were discovered by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip and returned to Israel for burial.
