Recently leaked recordings captured former IDF intelligence chief Aharon Haliva denying a rumor that he had sexual relations the night before October 7 with pop singer Keren Peles, according to a Channel 12 report on Saturday.
Haliva denied the account, saying that he was at home with his wife and daughter on the night of October 6.
Peles is a renowned Israeli musician who wrote songs such as "Hurricane" and "New Day Will Rise". Haliva is a retired major general who led the IDF’s Military Intelligence Directorate during the Hamas massacre and resigned in 2024.
His remarks aired on Channel 12’s Friday-night news segment Ulpan Shishi. The network also played other segments of Haliva reflecting on the failures that resulted on October 7.
Ulpan Shishi airs rumors Keren Peles's affair
The show played a segment in which Haliva said that there were rumors he was with Peles in Eilat. However, he denied them and said that he “fell asleep with [his] daughter Ariel next to [him], and [his] wife.”
Peles condemned Haliva's phrasing and said the rumor never should have aired, but did not deny the rumor.
“You could choose many other words that explain it never happened,” she wrote in a statement on social media, urging editors and audiences to avoid giving a platform to needlessly personal smears.
Israeli media went on to scrutinize Channel 12's editorial decision to include the rumor. Israel Hayom's culture desk criticized producers for putting the vulgar line on-screen during a family time slot. The newspaper also argued that the rumor distracted from any substantive questions about the October 7 intelligence failure that the package tried to explore.