Israeli leaders have threatened to sue the New York Times over a column by Nicholas Kristof detailing widespread sexual abuse of Palestinians by settlers, soldiers, and prison guards. PM Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar instructed lawyers to pursue legal action, calling the piece one of the most horrific and distorted lies ever directed against Israel in modern journalism.

The article, published this week, cited testimony from more than a dozen survivors and drew on reports from human rights groups and the UN. It has ignited fierce backlash in Israel, where the government has repeatedly denied any abuse of Palestinian prisoners. The Israel Prison Service called the allegations entirely without factual basis.

Any lawsuit filed in the US would face steep First Amendment barriers, and Netanyahu has made similar threats before over a 2025 report on Gaza malnourishment without following through. Legal observers note the strategy mirrors tactics used by Donald Trump, who has pursued defamation suits against media outlets with limited success.

Separately, an Israeli civil society group released a 300-page investigation into sexual crimes perpetrated during and after the October 7 Hamas attack, documenting rape, gang rape, sexual terrorism, and mutilation against Israeli hostages. Together, these parallel investigations show how allegations of sexual violence now dominate political and legal debates from opposing directions.