Journalist Shlomi Eldar is addressing the latest developments in the case surrounding the investigative report he published alongside Ruth Yuval in the Haaretz newspaper. The report alleged that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had received an explicit warning regarding the Hamas attack prior to October 7, but failed to inform senior security officials. In response to the publication, the Prime Minister’s Office denied the allegations in their entirety and declared that Netanyahu had instructed his lawyers to file a 2.5 million shekel libel suit against the newspaper and the journalists involved. Furthermore, sources close to Netanyahu claimed the report was a political fabrication and that no such conversation took place.
In an interview on the program "Sichat HaYom" on Channel 13, Eldar stated that, contrary to those declarations, he has not received an official statement of claim. According to Eldar, inquiries he conducted revealed that there is no case number in the court system associated with this proceeding. Eldar noted that he spoke with other journalists linked to the case, and none of them had been served with a lawsuit. The journalist speculated that this may be a move intended to prevent him and his colleagues from filing a meaningful defense before the upcoming elections. He emphasized that receiving a statement of claim would allow them to initiate standard legal procedures, such as serving interrogatories or requesting the disclosure of official documents and minutes, which is currently impossible in the absence of a registered lawsuit.
Conversely, the Prime Minister’s office maintains its position that the report is a baseless fabrication, citing checks performed on call logs and visitor records at the Prime Minister's Office, which they claim refute the details of the investigation. According to the Netanyahu office, presenting these claims at this time is intended to distract the public and serve a political campaign. At this stage, the conflict remains in the public and media arena, with the journalist noting that if a lawsuit is indeed filed, he is prepared to face it in court to prove his claims.