Israel leaks scandal: Netanyahu aide arrested over Gaza hostage talks stories
An Israeli court on Sunday partially lifted a gag order on a case investigating leaks of classified Gaza documents suspected to involve one of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s media advisers.
Arrests. Classified documents. And suspected leaks that may have harmed efforts to free hostages held by Hamas in order, critics say, to give Benjamin Netanyahu public cover for failing to agree to a cease-fire deal. The Israeli prime minister was engulfed in scandal Monday over a case involving one of his aides that has sent shockwaves across the country.
The firestorm — brought into public view when an Israeli court loosened a gag order Sunday night — has enraged Netanyahu's political opponents and hostage families. Netanyahu has denied any wrongdoing and distanced himself from the case, but critics have alleged that the Israeli leader put hostages' lives and national security at risk to buttress his hardline position in stalled cease-fire talks by leaking Gaza documents to friendly media outlets.
In a ruling on Sunday, the Rishon Le-Zion Magistrates’ Court said an investigation had been launched after suspicions arose within the Israel Defense Forces and the Israel Security Agency, or the Shin Bet, that "classified and sensitive intelligence" had been illegally taken from IDF systems.
The action, the court said, may have not only caused “serious harm to state security and the endangerment of intelligence sources," but also could have harmed "the goal of releasing the hostages" who were taken captive during Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 terror attacks.
The court identified the central suspect in the case as Eliezer Feldstein, reported by Israeli media to have been one of Netanyahu’s media advisers.
Rating: 5