Netanyahu Sued Over Alleged Defamation Claims

Israel's former domestic security chief has taken Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to court over allegations of defamation.

Ronen Bar, who previously headed Shin Bet, Israel's internal security agency, is suing Netanyahu for allegedly lying about his role in the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack that left many dead and injured. The case comes at a critical time ahead of Israel's closely contested October 27 election, where Netanyahu faces stiff competition.

Bar has accused Netanyahu of making baseless accusations against him, claiming that the prime minister was trying to deflect attention from his own alleged responsibility in the attack. In a lengthy court document, Bar maintained that he had warned Netanyahu's military secretary about potential threats on the day of the attack but did not have direct access to the prime minister.

Netanyahu has consistently denied being informed by Bar about the impending assault and has stated that if he had been alerted, he could have potentially prevented the attack. However, Bar disputes this claim, saying that his warnings were ignored, and he was unfairly maligned by Netanyahu's accusations.

Bar's lawsuit emphasizes that Netanyahu made his claims with full knowledge of their inaccuracy, using them as a smokescreen to shift the focus away from his own role in the events leading up to the attack.

The lawsuit filed by Ronen Bar against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues to shed light on the events surrounding the October 7 attack.

According to Bar's allegations, Netanyahu's policies over several years had "increased the dangers posed by terrorist organisations in Gaza", making it more likely that such an attack would occur. This contradicts Netanyahu's claims that the attack was a surprise and that he did everything he could to prevent it.

In response to Bar's accusations, Netanyahu issued a statement through his Likud party, questioning whether Bar is "serious" about the allegations. The prime minister also claimed that Bar had access to him at all times and could have called him immediately if there were any concerns about the threat posed by Hamas.

Bar resigned as head of Shin Bet in June 2025 amid controversy over the deadliest attack in Israel's history, but he maintained that he had informed Netanyahu of the threat in advance. He is now seeking three million shekels (about $968,500) in damages from the prime minister for defamation.

Netanyahu's former military secretary, Avi Gil, has come forward with allegations that the prime minister's office falsified records related to October 7, including altering the time of a key phone call. According to Gil, a stenographer was instructed by Netanyahu's chief of staff to change the recorded time of the call from 6:40am local time (03:40GMT) to 6:29am (03:29 GMT).

The attack on October 7, 2023, had devastating consequences for Israel, resulting in the loss of at least 1,221 lives and the taking of 251 Israelis hostage, including the bodies of 44 killed that day.

This tragedy has become a contentious issue in Netanyahu's re-election campaign, with polls showing him in a tight race to stay in power ahead of the October 27 election. Critics have accused him of failing to prevent the bloodshed, and his handling of the crisis has been widely questioned by former staff, government officials, and opposition parties.

The severity of the attack was compounded by the fact that Hamas had been planning it for months, with warnings issued as far back as September 2023 when Egypt's intelligence chief Abbas Kamel flew to Israel to warn security officials in person. Just days before the attack, Kamel reportedly phoned Netanyahu directly to reiterate the threat.

The aftermath of the attack has seen a significant escalation of violence in Gaza, with more than 74,300 people killed by Israeli forces since October 2023 and over 1,400 Gazans killed in Israeli attacks since last year's tentative ceasefire backed by the US.