Benjamin Netanyahu has sparked outrage after suggesting he understands the “personal cost” of Israel’s war with Iran – because his son had to postpone his wedding.

The Israeli prime minister made the remarks in a solemn address to TV cameras while standing in front of the ruins of a hospital in the southern city of Beersheba, hours after it was hit by Iranian missiles. Officials said at least 40 people were injured in the attack on Thursday.

“There are people who were killed, families who grieved loved ones, I really appreciate that,” Netanyahu said, comparing the attacks on Israel to the blitz in Britain during World War II.

“Each of us bears a personal cost, and my family has not been exempt. This is the second time that my son Avner has cancelled a wedding due to missile threats. It is a personal cost for his fiancee as well, and I must say that my dear wife is a hero, and she bears a personal cost.”

Israel and Iran have been exchanging missile attacks for a week after Netanyahu instructed the IDF to target Tehran’s nuclear sites and top military officials.

A view of burnt cars and a damaged building at an impact site following Iran’s missile strike on Israel, in Be’er Sheva, Israel (Reuters)

The Israeli authorities say 24 Israeli civilians have so far been killed by Iran’s retaliatory strikes, with footage showing Iranian missiles slamming into residential areas. Meanwhile, Washington-based human rights activists estimate 639 people have been killed by Israeli strikes on Iran.

Netanyahu’s comments angered his political opponents and the relatives of Israeli hostages remaining in Gaza.

Anat Angrest, whose son Matan has been held hostage by Hamas since the militant group’s attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, said in a post on X that the personal cost of the war “didn’t go unnoticed” by her and her family.

“I have been in the hellish dungeons of Gaza for 622 days now,” she wrote. “I’m waiting for you, Prime Minister, to save him.”

An explosion is seen during a missile attack in Tel Aviv (AP)

Gilad Kariv, a Knesset member for the Democrats, described Netanyahu as a “narcissist”.

“I know many families who were not forced to postpone a wedding, but who will now never celebrate the weddings that were once meant to take place,” Kariv said.

Netanyahu, who is currently on trial in Israel for corruption and is wanted by the International Criminal Court on war crimes charges, has faced criticism for the ongoing war in Gaza and for being out of touch with everyday civilians.

Israeli opposition figures have criticised the prime minister for continuing his war in Gaza, which has killed more than 55,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza health ministry. A total of 53 hostages remain in captivity, of whom Israel believes 30 are dead.

Hamas killed around 1,200 people during their cross-border attacks on 7 October, 2023, and took 251 people hostage. Previous ceasefires have seen dozens of hostages released from captivity in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned in Israel.

A member of the Israeli security forces checks the destruction at site of an Iranian missile attack in a residential area in Beersheba in southern Israel (AFP/Getty)

Netanyahu’s government says Hamas must be eradicated, but after nearly two years of war, the militant organisation continues to fight in some areas of Gaza.

Peace talks between Hamas and Israel, meanwhile, have broken down.

Several anti-government organisations previously announced they were planning demonstrations in the area of the wedding of Netanyahu’s son, Avner.

Iron roadblocks and barbed wire fences had already been erected within a 100-metre radius of the venue, the upscale Ronit’s Farm event hall in Kibbutz Yakum, north of Tel Aviv, when the Netanyahu family announced last weekend that the wedding would be postponed.

Police had also announced that all airspace within a mile radius of the venue would be closed during the ceremony, except for police helicopters.

Last Friday, Iran began firing missiles at Israel in retaliation for a barrage of strikes inside its territory that targeted military and nuclear sites and killed top officials and scientists.

Iranian attacks have intensified in their frequency and reach since then, despite Israel having one of the most advanced air defense systems in the world.

Iranian projectiles have been intercepted but some have hit Israeli cities including Tel Aviv, causing extensive damage to infrastructure and residential buildings.

While Israel maintains air superiority over its enemy and possesses the capacity to strike targets deep inside Iran, the ongoing attacks suggest that missile threats to population centers remain a serious and unresolved challenge.

Israel has long relied on its multilayered missile defense system to protect communities around the country against rocket barrages from militants in Gaza or Lebanon. Since the wars in the Middle East erupted following Hamas’ attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, that list has grown to include fire from rebels in Yemen and Iran.

This gallery offers a visual account of a tense and unpredictable week in Israel, one marked by continued Iranian and Israeli strikes and questions about the limits of modern air defense.

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This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.