People cycle past graffiti expressing solidarity with hostages abducted during the fatal October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, in Tel Aviv, Israel, on October 31, 2024. — Reuters
A suspected leak of classified Gaza documents involving an aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has shaken Israeli politics and angered the families of hostages held by Hamas, who have been advocating for a deal to bring their loved ones home. Details of the case have been emerging gradually due to a gag order. However, a court ruling partially lifting the order has offered an initial look into the case, which the court stated compromised security sources and potentially harmed Israel's war efforts. On Friday, the magistrates' court confirmed that several suspects had been arrested as part of the investigation into a suspected 'security breach caused by the illegal provision of classified information'. Netanyahu has denied any wrongdoing by his office staffers and stated on Saturday that he was only informed of the leaked document by the media. The suspects could not be reached for comment.
Details from the document in question were published by the German Bild newspaper on September 6, according to Israeli newspaper Haaretz, one of the media outlets that had appealed the court to lift the gag order. The article, labeled as an exclusive, reportedly outlined the negotiation strategy of Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist militant group Israel has been battling in Gaza for over a year. Around that time, the United States, Qatar, and Egypt were mediating ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas, which were to include a deal to release hostages held in Gaza. However, the talks stalled, with both Israel and Hamas blaming each other for the deadlock. The article largely aligned with Netanyahu's allegations against Hamas regarding the impasse.
It was published days after six Israeli hostages were found executed in a Hamas tunnel in southern Gaza. Their deaths sparked mass protests in Israel and outraged hostage families, who accused Netanyahu of sabotaging the ceasefire talks for political reasons. On Saturday, some of the families joined the Israeli journalists' appeal to lift the gag order. 'These people have been living on a rollercoaster of rumors and half-truths,' said their lawyer Dana Pugach. 'For the last year, they have been waiting to hear any intelligence or information about negotiations for the release of those hostages. If some of that information had been stolen from army sources, then we believe the families have the right to learn about any relevant detail,' she added.
In another session on Sunday regarding the investigation by the Shin Bet domestic security service, police, and the military, the court ordered one suspect be released, while keeping others in remand, according to Israeli Channel 13 News. Asked about the investigation, Bild stated that it does not comment on its sources. 'The authenticity of the document known to us was confirmed by the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) immediately after publication,' it said.
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