Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is known to be both image-obsessed and eager to stay in office, which he sees as the best way to avoid prosecution over longstanding corruption allegations, which he denies.

He is accused at home and abroad of delaying an agreement on a ceasefire and the release of hostages in Gaza to appease his far-right coalition partners, who could topple his government. It is also claimed that the Prime Minister is willing to extend and expand Israel’s military involvement in the region to defer responsibility for the October 7, 2023 intelligence and security failures.

An alleged leak from his office of classified military information to two news outlets has led to five arrests so far as it may have damaged the chances of reaching a deal. The material appears to have been edited or manipulated to further the Prime Minister’s position on hostage taking.

How did this all start?

In the summer, Netanyahu added a controversial demand to the hostage and ceasefire talks, after a conditional framework had already been reached: that Israeli troops would remain at the Gaza-Egypt border. The new ultimatum was received with some surprise by the Israeli security apparatus, which did not view it as essential. It was rejected by Hamas and the talks collapsed.

Questions then arose about two articles, one by the British newspaper Jewish Chronicle and one by the German tabloid Bild, which were published within a day of each other in early September. The Jewish Chronicle story claimed, based on material discovered by the Israeli army in Gaza, that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar planned to smuggle himself and Israeli hostages out of the strip through Egypt.

According to Bild’s report, Hamas documents found by Israeli forces showed that the Palestinian militant group intended to drag out the talks as long as possible as a form of psychological warfare. Similar claims were made by an Israeli television channel earlier this year.

What happened then?

Concerned that publication of the articles would jeopardize intelligence collection, the Israeli military launched an investigation into the leak. The Jewish Chronicle retracted its story after the IDF said it appeared fabricated, and cut ties with the freelancer who wrote it after concerns arose about other articles he contributed. Bild stood by its reporting and said the IDF confirmed the authenticity of the material.

Both reports were met with skepticism in Israel, where it was noted that the points raised in the articles echoed the prime minister’s own talking points at a time when he was under unprecedented pressure to agree to a deal following the discovery of six dead hostages in a prison. tunnel in Rafah.

The hostages were killed shortly before Israeli forces found them, raising doubts among the Israeli public that the remaining prisoners could be released through rescue missions and military pressure, as Netanyahu insisted. He has also repeatedly argued that protesters calling for a deal are “falling into Hamas’s trap.”

Why is the scandal coming to a head now?

The affair has rocked Israel since Friday, after a court announced that five arrests had been made last week in a joint investigation by police, internal security services and the military into a suspected “violation of national security caused by the unlawful provision of classified information” that “harmed the achievement of Israel’s war objectives” – i.e. the release of the hostages.

The main suspect was named Eliezer Feldstein, who, according to Israeli media, was hired as a spokesperson and media advisor in the Prime Minister’s office shortly after the Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023. The other four are soldiers serving in an intelligence unit tasked with preventing leaks, local media have reported, and one has since been released. Many details are still subject to a gag order.

Israel’s Channel 12 said Monday that investigators believed the theft of secret files from IDF databases, which were then leaked to individuals in the prime minister’s office, was “systematic,” and that news reports in foreign media damaged the lives of soldiers and brought hostages into Gaza. in danger.

What does Netanyahu say?

The prime minister is not considered a suspect in the case and has distanced himself from Feldstein.

He has tried to downplay the matter and called for the gag order to be lifted in the interests of transparency. He has also played a favorite card, accusing the judiciary of bias by pointing out that dozens of other leaks related to ceasefire negotiations and the release of hostages have appeared in the media without prompting investigation .

On Saturday, Netanyahu denied any involvement in the leak, or wrongdoing by his staff. Feldstein “never participated in security discussions, was not exposed to or received classified information, and did not participate in classified visits,” his office said.

What happens next?

A partial silence order remains in place, meaning details are likely to emerge slowly.

The scandal could still spread. On Tuesday, a court released news that the Israel Police’s anti-corruption unit is conducting a criminal investigation into events “from the beginning of the war.”

Once again a silence order has prevented the publication of much information, but the case is believed to center on officials in the Prime Minister’s office who are alleged to have attempted to alter minutes of cabinet meetings and transcripts of security briefings. Netanyahu’s office called the report “a complete lie.”