The New York Times on Sunday rejected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s denial of its report alleging he prolonged the war in Gaza to stay in power, saying his office “does not refute the facts” of the investigation.

The report, published on Friday, was based on more than 110 interviews and internal documents. It alleged that Netanyahu delayed a ceasefire and blocked a normalisation deal with Saudi Arabia to maintain the support of his far-right coalition partners and protect his political position.

In a statement, the Israeli PM’s Office dismissed the story, calling it a “rehash of long discredited claims of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s political opponents.”

In response, a spokesperson for The New York Times said: “The statement from the Prime Minister’s office does not refute the facts of that reporting.”

“Our role as independent journalists is to report and disclose information vital to the public interest, and to hold leaders to account regardless of party,” the spokesperson said. “What our investigation shows in detail is how prolonging the Gaza war helped Mr Netanyahu to stay in power.”