They Heard Their Loved Ones Being Murdered Over the Phone, the State Refuses to Recognize Them as Victims of Hostile Action

The state, in the position of Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, refuses to recognize relatives who were digitally exposed to the murder of their loved ones on October 7 as victims of hostile action, arguing that the law requires physical presence. About 450 such requests have been rejected. Aid organizations and the 121 nonprofit demand changing the law and recognizing first-degree relatives who were exposed in real time.

The state, in the position of Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, refuses to recognize people who heard their loved ones being murdered over the phone or were digitally exposed to the horrors of October 7 as victims of hostile action. According to the state, the existing law, enacted in 1970, requires the victim's physical presence at the scene, and expanding recognition could create a 'slippery slope' and blur the boundaries between circles of victims. According to presented data, about 450 requests for recognition due to digital exposure were submitted, and all were rejected. In contrast, organizations such as the 121 nonprofit and a legal aid clinic at the University of Haifa argue that the law must change, and that first-degree relatives who were exposed in real time to harm to their loved ones via phone call or messages should be recognized. They emphasize that the applicants suffer from severe post-trauma without state support, and some have waited over a year for the Attorney General's position. The dispute reveals a gap between a decades-old law and the technological reality of October 7.

They Heard Their Loved Ones Being Murdered Over the Phone, the State Refuses to Recognize Them as Victims of Hostile Action