A forum campaigning for the release of Israeli hostages has called for an investigation into an alleged leak of secret documents by an aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which may have sabotaged efforts to secure their release.
An Israeli court has announced that Eliezer Feldstein, a former aide to Netanyahu, along with three others, has been detained for allegedly leaking documents to foreign media. This revelation has raised questions about Netanyahu's involvement in the leak, an allegation his office has denied.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, representing most of the families of the 97 hostages still held in Gaza, stated, "The families demand an investigation against all those suspected of sabotage and undermining state security." They further claimed that the suspicions suggest individuals associated with the prime minister may have executed one of the greatest frauds in the nation's history.
Critics of Netanyahu have long accused him of stalling negotiations and prolonging the conflict to appease his far-right coalition partners. Following the arrests, Israel's Shin Bet internal security agency confirmed that the investigation began after significant suspicions arose regarding the leaking of sensitive and secret intelligence information from military systems.
The leaks have sparked security concerns about their potential negative impact on Israel's security and efforts to secure the release of captives in Gaza. Opposition leaders Yair Lapid and Benny Gantz have used the scandal to attack Netanyahu's government, labeling the incident as the disclosure of state secrets for political purposes.
They asserted, "What has been allowed to be published in the context of the security case is enough to destabilize the foundations of the state." Recent reports suggest the scandal involves the leaking of political, security, and military documents to the German magazine Bild.