Yair Golan Threatens Sara Netanyahu With $670,000 Lawsuit Over Hamas Attack Claims

Former IDF General Yair Golan, head of the Democratic Party, has sent a legal warning to Sara Netanyahu, wife of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, threatening a defamation lawsuit of at least 2.5 million shekels (approximately $670,000). The action follows an interview Netanyahu gave to Channel 14 on Monday, where she implied Golan had prior knowledge of the October 7th Hamas attack before the Prime Minister. Netanyahu stated, "You are a very high-ranking military man, and you claim you were a fighter on October 7th, and in the early morning you were already there dressed and ready, at a very early hour, when others did not know, like the Prime Minister." She also refused to rule out "internal betrayal" on October 7th.

Golan's lawyers demanded an unequivocal public apology within 24 hours and a financial settlement to be donated to victims of the Nova music festival massacre. Failure to comply would result in the lawsuit. The proposed apology states Golan learned of the attack at 6:29 AM with the first air raid sirens, then armed himself and went to the Gaza border area, where he risked his life to save six young people fleeing the festival.

The lawyers asserted Netanyahu's statements were "defamatory, slanderous, and false," aiming to portray Golan as complicit in betrayal and damage his reputation before elections. They added, "Our client will not allow an attempt to erase the heroism of IDF soldiers, reserve teams, citizens, and volunteers by rewriting history."

Golan stated, "They are trying to rewrite the events of October 7th to erase Netanyahu's responsibility for the greatest failure in the state's history. That is why they are trying to turn those who stood up to defend the state into traitors, and those who funded Hamas and abandoned security into victims." He vowed to seek a formal investigation into the failure.

The Democratic Party previously condemned Netanyahu's remarks as "defamatory and false," calling her conspiracy theories about Golan's heroism "a red line bordering on madness," contrasting his actions with Netanyahu's alleged focus on makeup and excuses.