Netanyahu calls the claim that Israel carried out the Nova festival massacre "a complete reversal of truth"
Benjamin NetanyahuPrime Minister of Israel
Netanyahu called "utterly preposterous" a Palestinian Authority statement that accused Israel of the killings at the Supernova festival.
“Today, the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah said something utterly preposterous. It denied that it was Hamas that carried out the horrible massacre at the nature festival near Gaza. It actually accused Israel of carrying out that massacre. This is a complete reversal of truth”
Official statement
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Did Israeli forces kill Israelis under the Hannibal Directive on October 7?
On October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attackers struck southern Israel. About 1,200 people were killed in Israel that day and about 250 were taken hostage into Gaza. In July 2024, Haaretz reported that documents and testimony show the Israeli military used the Hannibal procedure, which directs force to stop soldiers from being taken captive, at three army sites that day. The detailed findings of a UN commission of inquiry say Israeli fire likely killed at least 14 Israeli civilians in two incidents. The IDF has said a helicopter likely killed Efrat Katz of Kibbutz Nir Oz and that tank shrapnel highly likely killed one hostage outside a house in Kibbutz Be'eri, and it has defended the decisions of its commanders. Former defense minister Yoav Gallant said in February 2025 that he thinks an order to apply the procedure was given tactically in some places and not in others. The dispute is over whether, and how often, Israeli forces fired on Israeli captives that day, and how many Israelis that fire killed. The record also covers hostages later killed by Israeli fire in Gaza, including three who were shot in Shejaiya in December 2023 after escaping their captors.
Source and context
Official statement
About this source
Text of Netanyahu's November 19, 2023 video statement as released by the Prime Minister's Office, read from the GlobalSecurity.org copy, which is labeled Israel - Prime Minister's Office, 19.11.2023.
Reporting
About this source
Times of Israel report on a since-deleted Palestinian Authority foreign ministry statement saying Israeli helicopters killed partygoers at the Supernova festival under the Hannibal Protocol, and on Netanyahu's response.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
According to the Times of Israel, the Palestinian Authority's foreign ministry had said that Israeli helicopters bombed Israeli civilians at the Supernova festival on October 7 under the Hannibal Protocol. The statement was later deleted.
After the quotation
Netanyahu continued: "Abu Mazen, who in the past has denied the existence of the Holocaust, today is denying the existence of the Hamas massacre and that's unacceptable."
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is Israeli fire on October 7, 2023, under or in the manner of the Hannibal Directive, that put Israeli captives at risk of being killed by Israeli forces. Netanyahu rejects the Palestinian Authority's account, which the Times of Israel reports said Israeli helicopters killed partygoers under the Hannibal Protocol. That disputes the characterization of Israeli conduct rather than defending any fire. The closest competing label is Defended or excused, but he argues the attribution is false, not that such fire was justified.
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More from this case
Read the full casePolitiFact says it has not revisited related claims and its Nova video rating stands
PolitiFact
“We have not gone back and looked at related claims, and the rating stands.”Read statement
IDF points to its published October 7 investigations and declines further comment
Israel Defense Forces
“The IDF has published investigations concerning its conduct on October 7th, and beyond that, we will not comment.”Read statement
Michael Starr: under the directive, soldiers fire "at risk to friendlies, not at friendlies"
“The directive is a removal of safeties that come with the use of live fire, as Americans may be familiar with danger close mortar or artillery strikes. Fire is directed at hostiles, not at hostages, but the safety protocols are essentially removed. You are shooting at risk to friendlies, not at friendlies.”Read statement
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- Netanyahu calls the claim that Israel carried out the Nova festival massacre "a complete reversal of truth"
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The Dispute Index. "Netanyahu calls the claim that Israel carried out the Nova festival massacre "a complete reversal of truth"". First published: 2026-10-07. Last updated: 2026-10-07. https://disputeindex.com/events/5075-netanyahu-called-utterly-preposterous-a-palestinian-authority-statement