כיכר השבת

Netanyahu and Katz slam Haaretz's Blood Libel

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz issued a sharp joint statement on Friday rejecting what they called “vile blood libels” published in the Haaretz newspaper, which claimed IDF soldiers were ordered to fire on unarmed Palestinians collecting aid in Gaza. “These are malicious lies meant to defame the IDF—the most moral army in the world,” the statement read. The leaders stressed that the IDF operates under strict ethical codes, especially when combating a terrorist enemy like Hamas that embeds itself within civilian populations and manipulates the media to delegitimize Israel. “Our soldiers receive clear instructions to avoid harming innocent civilians—and they abide by them,” the statement asserted. Israel called on “all free democratic nations” to rally behind its “just and moral struggle” against Hamas, describing the report as part of a broader disinformation campaign aimed at undermining the legitimacy of Israel’s self-defense.