Communications Minister Karai Demands Apology Over 'Lies' Campaign by Gantz's Party

Communications Minister Shlomo Karai has sent a legal warning to the "Yashar! Im Yisrael" party, led by Benny Gantz, demanding an apology within 48 hours for a campaign advertisement alleging he fled in an armored vehicle on October 7th. Karai vehemently denies the claim, stating he was at his home in Zomet, in the Gaza envelope, with his wife and eight children on the morning of the Hamas attack.

According to Karai, he requested to join the fighting and was instructed by security officials to wait for an escort before heading to a government meeting at 4:00 PM, where war was declared. He returned home to the Gaza envelope afterward and managed the Ministry of Communications' situation room from there. Karai asserts he only left his community four days later, following security directives.

Karai stated, "You can argue, you can criticize, and you can run a sharp political campaign. You cannot use the day of the terrible massacre to fabricate false accusations." He added, "Whoever turns this terrible day into a false narrative for political campaign purposes will be held accountable."

The legal letter was sent by Karai's attorney, Avichai Hajbi, and demands the removal of the advertisement along with a public apology and clarification.