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Netanyahu aide suspected of leaking classified information to sabotage hostage deal

Judge Menachem Mizrachi: ‘At issue is the endangering of sensitive information … as well as hampering achieving the goals of the war in the Gaza Strip.’

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Eli Feldstein,  A close aide of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is suspected of allegedly leaking high-security documents to undermine a hostage deal, court records reveal.

Feldstein was formerly a spokesperson for the chief officer of Otzma Yehudit, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.

The breach is considered one of the most severe in Israel’s history after Rishon Lezion Magistrate’s Court Judge Menahem Mizrahi partially lifted the gag order on the details of the case.

Four individuals, including Feldstein, are being investigated in the matter.

Feldstein is being remanded into custody on the charge of illegally accessing IDF documents and leaking them to the press.

“The investigation began after significant suspicions arose in the Shin Bet [Israel Security Agency] and IDF, also in light of media publications indicating that classified and sensitive intelligence information was taken from IDF systems and illegally removed,” the judge wrote.

“At issue is the endangering of sensitive information and information sources, as well as hampering achieving the goals of the war in the Gaza Strip,” Judge Mizrachi continued.

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The leak occurred during a period of intense pressure to accept a hostage deal following the execution of six captives in Gaza.

The leak was the basis of an article, which was later retracted, in the UK-based Jewish Chronicle claiming that Hamas was planning on sending the hostages out of Gaza through Egypt.

Based on the leak, the German publication Bild said Hamas was delaying talks as a kind of psychological warfare.

The information in the leak seemed designed to support Netanyahu’s demands during the hostage release talks and to shield him from criticism over the absence of an agreement.

Feldstein began working in the Prime Minister’s Office shortly after October 7th, 2023, but he lacked proper credentials after failing a Shin Bet security clearance.