An aide to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been arrested as part of an investigation into a serious security issue at the Prime Minister’s office. This news was reported by Axios, citing officials close to the situation.
Netanyahu has strongly denied any involvement from his staff in this alleged scandal. However, local media have pointed out that not all of his aides are officially recognized as part of his team, which adds some confusion to the situation. The main focus of the investigation is a document believed to have come from Hamas, the Palestinian militant group. This document was reportedly leaked to the press, and its contents seemed to support Netanyahu’s approach to negotiations over hostages held by Hamas.
Recently, a judge named Menachem Mizrahi lifted part of a gag order that had been imposed by the Israeli military. This order kept details about the investigation from being shared with the public. Now, the Israeli domestic security agency, known as Shin Bet, along with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the national police, are openly investigating the matter.
In early September, reports from a German newspaper called Bild and a British outlet, The Jewish Chronicle, revealed a supposed Hamas strategy that aimed to delay negotiations with Israel regarding the release of hostages in Gaza. These reports were based on a document allegedly written by Yahya Sinwar, who was the leader of Hamas until he was killed by the Israeli military. According to The Times of Israel, the IDF has confirmed that a mid-level Hamas official actually authored the document. Interestingly, the points made in the document closely matched what Netanyahu was saying during that time.
Netanyahu, along with several news organizations, has asked the Israeli court to lift the gag order completely. His office argues that the ongoing silence around this issue allows for harmful and false accusations against him and his staff. The court is set to make a decision on this matter soon.
A source close to one of the people arrested claimed that the aide had dedicated his life to serving Netanyahu and would do anything for him. However, when the scandal broke, the source suggested that Netanyahu quickly distanced himself from the aide, leaving him vulnerable.
Israeli media have reported that the arrested aide worked for Netanyahu informally but had direct access to high-ranking officials. Critics of Netanyahu are accusing him of ignoring the plight of hostages taken by Hamas during an attack on October 7 last year. They claim that rather than genuinely pursuing their release, Netanyahu is more focused on military actions and is intentionally sabotaging negotiations.
As the investigation continues, many are left wondering: what will be the fallout of this scandal for Netanyahu and his government? The story is developing, and it seems like there may be more surprises ahead.
