Jerusalem, Nov 18 (IANS) An aide to Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu is suspected of leaking classified documents to a European newspaper to sway public opinion against demonstrations supporting a ceasefire-for-hostage deal with Hamas.
The Magistrate’s Court in the Israeli city of Rishon LeZion eased a gag order on Sunday, revealing new details about the case, which has triggered a political scandal and sent shockwaves through the Israeli political sphere, Xinhua news agency reported.
Eli Feldstein, a media advisor to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has been arrested and interrogated by the Shin Bet internal security agency. Three additional security personnel, whose names remain undisclosed, have also been detained in connection with the case.
Feldstein’s detention was extended by five days on Sunday, and he is expected to face charges next week, according to the court. The documents allegedly came into Feldstein’s possession via an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reserve officer, who is also a suspect in the investigation.
According to the court, Feldstein allegedly leaked the classified materials to portray Yahya Sinwar, the late Hamas leader, as unwilling to agree to a ceasefire deal that would also secure hostage release.
After an Israeli military censor blocked the publication of the documents on an Israeli TV channel, Feldstein bypassed local censorship by providing the material to Germany’s Bild newspaper. He then encouraged Israeli reporters to publish follow-up stories after the Bild broke the news.
Feldstein had the documents since June but leaked them in early September, after IDF forces retrieved the bodies of six hostages from a tunnel in Gaza in late August. These hostages, taken during Hamas’s attack on October 7, 2024, were killed by their captors shortly before Israeli troops reached them.
The incident has intensified criticism of Netanyahu over his failure to secure the release of the hostages, with nationwide protests calling on the government to secure a ceasefire with Hamas to facilitate a broader hostage release. Over the past months, Netanyahu has repeatedly blamed Sinwar for obstructing a deal.
–IANS
int/rs
Disclaimer
The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by BhaskarLive.in and while we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this website.
Through this website you are able to link to other websites which are not under the control of BhaskarLive.in We have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.
Every effort is made to keep the website up and running smoothly. However, BhaskarLive.in takes no responsibility for, and will not be liable for, the website being temporarily unavailable due to technical issues beyond our control.
For any legal details or query please visit original source link given with news or click on Go to Source.
Our translation service aims to offer the most accurate translation possible and we rarely experience any issues with news post. However, as the translation is carried out by third part tool there is a possibility for error to cause the occasional inaccuracy. We therefore require you to accept this disclaimer before confirming any translation news with us.
If you are not willing to accept this disclaimer then we recommend reading news post in its original language.
