Israel Plans to Sue the New York Times Over Allegations of Sexual Violence Against Palestinian Prisoners

Israel plans to sue the New York Times and one of its journalists for libel, the government announced on Thursday. The legal action stems from an article that alleged Israeli soldiers, prison guards, and settlers had committed widespread sexual violence against Palestinian detainees. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had instructed his legal advisers to initiate "the strictest legal steps," describing the article as defamation and slander. The New York Times has not yet issued a public response to the threatened lawsuit.

The legal threat comes as the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas remains fragile. The formal truce has been in place since October 2025, following a two-year war. Israel and Hamas agreed to a US-sponsored "peace plan" whose first phase included an end to fighting, the return of hostages and prisoners, a partial withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, and improved access for humanitarian aid. The Israeli military has since pulled back behind agreed lines, and Hamas has handed over both living and dead hostages. Israel has also released Palestinian prisoners.

But the situation is far from stable. Israeli airstrikes continue in response to alleged violations of the truce. On Sunday, Israeli attacks killed at least three Palestinians in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run interior ministry. Two police officers were killed in Khan Yunis, and another person died in an airstrike on the Maghazi refugee camp. Reuters had previously reported that Israel had stepped up attacks on Hamas-run police forces in Gaza, which the militant group uses to reassert governmental authority in areas it controls. The Israeli military did not initially comment on either incident.

According to figures from the Hamas-controlled health ministry, more than 400 Palestinians, mostly civilians, were killed between the start of the ceasefire and the end of December 2025. UNICEF said in January that more than 100 children had been killed in Gaza since the truce began. On the Israeli side, Reuters reported that three soldiers had been killed as of mid-January. Hamas has also not yet returned all hostages: the remains of one Israeli are still in Gaza.

Despite these ongoing tensions, the US announced on 14 January that the peace plan would move to its second phase. The members of an interim government of Palestinian technocrats were also announced. This committee is meant to temporarily administer Gaza and will be overseen and supported by a "Peace Council" led by Trump. Whether this transition will succeed is uncertain. Many issues remain unresolved, including the disarmament of Hamas and the deployment of an international stabilisation force.

Meanwhile, Israel has also deported two activists who were brought to Israel after the Gaza aid flotilla was stopped. An Israeli foreign ministry spokesperson said on X on Sunday that the investigations against Spaniard Saif Abu Keshek and Brazilian Thiago Ávila had been completed, and that Israel would not allow violations of its legal naval blockade of Gaza. No further details on the deportations have been released. The two activists had been brought to Israel more than a week earlier. The human rights organisation Adalah, which represented the pair in court, called their deportation a "wrongful abduction." Israel accused Abu Keshek, who has Palestinian roots, of ties to Hamas. Spain demanded his immediate release. Ávila was accused of "illegal activities."

So the ceasefire holds, barely. Airstrikes continue. Prisoner allegations are headed to court. Activists are deported. And a peace plan that no one fully trusts is stumbling toward a second phase. In the Middle East, that is apparently the definition of progress.