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Israeli secret services make arrests after leak probe in Netanyahu’s office
The arrests were made public after Israeli newspapers convinced a court to partially lift a gag order related to the investigation, with the court telling the newspapers that the leaks “may have damaged Israel’s war goals in the Gaza Strip”, Financial Times reported.
“Several suspects were arrested for questioning, and the investigation is ongoing,” the judge said in court, in remarks cited by local media.
Netanyahu had earlier in the day asked for the order to be lifted too. Israeli media reported on Friday that one of the suspects is a press adviser to Netanyahu but not an employee of his office.
“Contrary to the false publications and the appearance that the media try to paint, no one from the prime minister’s office was investigated or arrested,” Netanyahu’s office said.
The leaks to the UK-based Jewish Chronicle and Germany’s Bild Zeitung cited documents found in Gaza that showed Hamas planned to divide Israeli society with propaganda efforts about the captives.
They also suggested the group wanted to smuggle the captives to Egypt via tunnels under the so-called Philadelphi corridor, which separates Gaza from Egypt. The Israel Defense Forces had seized the area in May.
The stories appeared at the end of August and beginning of September when regular mass street protests in Tel Aviv were piling pressure on Netanyahu to accept a cease-fire to free the captives.
Netanyahu refused to give up control of the Philadelphi corridor, which many regional diplomats believe was a big reason for the negotiations failing.