After many persons were arrested in connection with an alleged leak of confidential papers from his office, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu found himself at the center of a fresh political maelstrom involving a hostage arrangement in the Gaza conflict.
A joint investigation by the army, police, and internal security services suspected a “breach of national security caused by the unlawful provision of classified information,” which also “harmed the achievement of Israel’s war aims,” according to an Israeli court that announced the arrests on Friday afternoon, before Shabbat began.
It is thought that one of the people detained is the prime minister’s spokeswoman.
According to Israeli media, the military goal in issue is the release of the 101 Israeli captives that Hamas still holds, albeit the most of the facts are still covered by a partial gag order. In order to make it appear as though the Palestinian terrorist organization intended to transfer hostages to Egypt, followed by Iran or Yemen, the defendants are accused of selectively leaking Hamas plan papers that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) discovered in Gaza.
In interviews and press conferences in September, Netanyahu asserted this in defense of a new demand he had made in ceasefire and hostage-release negotiations: Israeli forces must stay on the Gaza-Egypt border.
The demand was a crucial factor in the failure of months of discussions, as Hamas rejected it on the grounds that it was not included in the parameters that both parties had previously conditionally agreed.
Netanyahu has frequently been charged with delaying an agreement to save his coalition government from collapsing. His far-right supporters will not accept anything less than a complete triumph against Hamas, and he is said to view remaining in power as the strongest defense against charges of fraud, bribery, and breach of trust brought in 2019. He denies any misconduct.
stories reportedly based on the same manipulated information surfaced in the German tabloid Bild and the British publication The Jewish Chronicle shortly after the Israeli leader first brought up the alleged Hamas plan. The Israeli media extensively reported on these stories.
The Israeli army opened an inquiry into the leak, declaring that it was “unaware of any such document existing,” because of concern that the articles’ publication might compromise intelligence operations in Gaza. The journalist who wrote the report was later sacked by the Jewish Chronicle, which also repudiated the story.
Although the prime minister’s office stated on Friday that no Netanyahu employees had been questioned or arrested, it did not rule out the possibility that the leak came from his office on Saturday.
It noted that dozens of such leaks pertaining to ceasefire and prisoner release talks had surfaced in media stories without prompting inquiries.
According to what is known, the allegations include improperly employing an adviser without the necessary security clearance, handling secret papers carelessly, and utilizing the information to sway public opinion.
In the sharply divided nation, the prime minister’s critics have been incensed by the news of the arrests. Thousands of Israelis participated in what are increasingly weekly protests in support of a deal on Saturday night.
“We have tough enemies abroad, but the danger from within and at the most sensitive decision-making centers shakes the foundations of the confidence of the citizens of Israel in the prosecution of the war, and in handling the most sensitive and explosive security issues,” wrote opposition leader Yair Lapid on X.
