Communications Minister Karhi Threatens Legal Action Over 'Fake News' Campaign

Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi has sent a legal warning to the "Yash! Im Yisrael" party, demanding they retract a campaign accusing him of fleeing his home in an armored vehicle on the morning of October 7th. Karhi's legal team stated that the allegations are a severe fabrication, exploiting the Hamas massacre for political gain.

The party has been given 48 hours to remove the offending publication and issue a public apology, or face legal proceedings. The minister's office clarified that on the day of the attack, Karhi was at his home in the Gaza border community of Zameret with his wife and eight children. He immediately requested to join the fighting and, when summoned for a government meeting, proceeded to attend despite the real danger, following security instructions to wait for an armored vehicle.

Karhi reportedly left for the government meeting, where war was declared, at 4:00 PM. After the meeting, he returned to his home in the Gaza border region and continuously managed the Ministry of Communications' situation room from there. He only evacuated the community four days later, as explicitly instructed by security officials.

In a statement, Minister Karhi emphasized that this crosses a red line, stating, "One can argue, criticize, and wage a sharp political campaign, but one cannot use the terrible day of the massacre to fabricate lies. While my family and neighbors were under attack by terrorists, I asked to go fight, and when called to fulfill my duty, I went to the government meeting. Whoever turns this day into a false fabrication will be held accountable."