Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has filed a defamation lawsuit against three media companies and six journalists over reports that he personally received warnings about the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023, but did not pass them on to Israel's security chiefs. The suit targets the newspaper Haaretz, the daily Yedioth Ahronoth, the news site Ynet and Channel 12 television. Among the named defendants are the two Haaretz journalists who wrote the book that first made the claims.

The case centres on two allegations. The first is that the president of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, warned Netanyahu in late September 2023 that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was preparing a large-scale operation. The second is that Egypt's then intelligence chief, Abbas Kamel, secretly visited Israel about 11 days before the attack to warn of a major Hamas offensive. The claims appear in the book "Hostages: 843 Days of Abandonment" and were later reported by The New York Times and The Atlantic. The reports relied on anonymous sources. Separately, former defence minister Yoav Gallant said Sinwar had sent a message through an intermediary that he would "shake the prisons".

Netanyahu has repeatedly denied receiving such warnings, calling the allegations "an absolute lie". In the suit, he argues that Haaretz published despite his denial and that the other outlets repeated or amplified the story. He also accuses one Haaretz commentator of "treason from within". He had earlier demanded that Haaretz retract the article, apologise and pay 1 million shekels (about 287,000 euros). Haaretz refused, saying its reporting was the product of extensive, source-based research and that it was ready to defend it in court. Netanyahu now seeks at least 2.6 million shekels (about 747,000 euros) in damages.

Under Israeli defamation law, the defendants can argue that their reporting was true and in the public interest, or that it was published in good faith after responsible journalistic inquiry. They have 60 days to file their defence.

The lawsuit comes as Israel heads toward a general election scheduled for October 7, the first since the attack that triggered wars in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran. The warning claims have become a campaign issue. Opposition leaders have called Netanyahu unfit for office, and opposition leader Yair Lapid, head of the centrist Yesh Atid party, accused him of ignoring every warning before October 7 and of now "fear-mongering" after Netanyahu said there were indications enemies might attack before the vote. Netanyahu has so far rejected calls for an official state inquiry into the events surrounding the attack. A Reuters polling average described in one of the sources shows a close race with no clear path to power for any camp.