Netanyahu files defamation suit over reports of warnings before 7 October

Netanyahu filed the suit in Jerusalem District Court on Tuesday, seeking 2.6 million shekels in damages. The defendants named in reporting on the case include Haaretz, Yedioth Ahronoth, Channel 12 and Ynet, as well as several journalists. He had said earlier in September that he would sue Haaretz; the filing is a further step. [1] [2] [3]

The disputed reports concern two alleged warnings before Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack. One said UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed spoke to Netanyahu about a major move by Hamas. The other said Egypt’s then intelligence chief, Abbas Kamel, warned him personally of an unusual attack from Gaza. Netanyahu says he had no call or meeting with either man between September 2023 and the attack. He has also said official call logs contain no record of the alleged UAE call and office-entry records show no UAE representative arriving during that period. [2] [5]

The Times of Israel reported that an Emirati source familiar with the alleged conversation backed Haaretz’s account. Ynet journalist Ronen Bergman described a discreet channel for calls between Netanyahu and bin Zayed that used phones brought to Netanyahu’s office by a UAE representative, rather than Israeli communications systems. Separately, The Times of Israel reported, citing Army Radio, that Israeli domestic intelligence had passed Netanyahu a general warning from Egyptian counterparts. That differs from the claim that Kamel warned him personally. [3] [5]