[108834] Public criticism against Netanyahu: Huge expenses on residences and anger from hostage families

Political and economic tension: From the official residence to the families of the hostages

On Thursday, July 2, 2026, two central issues made headlines, placing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the center of sharp public criticism, both on the economic and moral levels.

Revelation of renovation costs at the official residence

According to a report by the channel Ziv Rubinstein - Until the war ends, a channel that presents a distinct critical line against the government, a petition to the District Court revealed that the cost of renovating the Prime Minister's official residence, which has not been in use for 5 years, reached 103 million shekels. For comparison, it was noted that the renovation cost of the Bennett house in Ra'anana amounted to only 71 thousand shekels. The channel emphasized the gap and directed criticism to the fact that this cost is equivalent to renovating "three floors at Ichilov [hospital] with the equipment."

Anger of the hostage families at the conduct of the political echelon

At the same time, the channel War Room 🎗️, which covers the war and the hostage issue, brought the words of Eli Sharabi, a captivity survivor who was interviewed on "Kan Reshet B". Sharabi responded sharply to statements by the Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.

Referring to Netanyahu's answer on Channel 14, where he mentioned that he "lost weight" when asked about the change he underwent since October 7, Sharabi said: "This is yet another embarrassing statement from people who pretend to be leaders." In addition, Sharabi attacked Smotrich over his claim that the hostages returned because of him, calling these statements "audacity" and "irresponsibility" in the face of the national days of mourning for thousands of families.