Netanyahu’s aides accused of leaking sensitive info to Qatar

Security source alleges Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s aides passed classified information to Qatar in major Qatargate twist.

By World Israel News Staff

A senior Israeli security source has alleged that members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s inner circle passed classified information from sensitive security discussions about Egypt to Qatar, which then used the material as part of an influence campaign aimed at discrediting Cairo in the Israeli media.

The explosive allegation, reported Sunday by Israel Hayom, would significantly expand the scope of the so-called Qatargate affair if substantiated.

Until now, the investigation has largely focused on suspicions that Qatar supplied Netanyahu’s associates with pro-Doha and anti-Egypt messaging that they subsequently pushed to Israeli journalists. The new account alleges that information also traveled in the opposite direction — from within Israel’s security establishment to Qatar.

According to Israel Hayom, the security source alleged that information originating in classified discussions involving Egypt was passed by Netanyahu associates Yonatan Urich, Israel “Srulik” Einhorn and Eli Feldstein to Qatar. Doha then allegedly incorporated the material into an influence operation designed to undermine Egypt’s position and elevate Qatar’s role in negotiations over the hostages held by Hamas.

The report does not establish that the three men personally attended the classified meetings, and Israel Hayom said the allegation was that they obtained information originating in those discussions and subsequently passed it on. The alleged transfer of classified material itself has not been independently confirmed.

The discussions reportedly took place beginning in the spring of 2024 and involved representatives of the Shin Bet, IDF, National Security Council and the prime minister. Officials discussed whether Egyptian military activity in the Sinai Peninsula constituted violations of the Israel-Egypt peace treaty and assessed the possibility that tensions surrounding the Gaza war could spill over into relations with Cairo.

Israel Hayom said it contacted another security source who participated in the meetings and confirmed that discussions concerning possible Egyptian violations did take place during the period described by the first source.

That second official did not independently confirm that classified information was leaked to Qatar, but said the issue of Egypt appeared at the time to have been “artificially inflated” beyond what the official believed was warranted by the professional security discussions. The source also recalled seeing anti-Egypt and pro-Qatar reports appear publicly around the same period as the classified meetings.

The allegation adds a potentially much more serious dimension to an affair that has already centered on claims of foreign influence inside Netanyahu’s political and communications operation.

Investigators have suspected that Urich, Feldstein and Einhorn participated in a public relations campaign intended to portray Qatar favorably while damaging Egypt’s reputation as the two countries competed for influence in negotiations between Israel and Hamas. Previous court documents described an alleged arrangement under which a US lobbying company linked to Qatar formed a business relationship with Urich to promote positive coverage of Doha and negative messages about Cairo.

Among the messages allegedly pushed to Israeli reporters were claims questioning Egypt’s reliability as a mediator and suggesting that senior US officials increasingly viewed Qatar as the more important negotiating partner.

Previous reporting revealed that Einhorn sent Feldstein messaging claiming senior American officials no longer trusted Egypt, particularly Egyptian intelligence, and instead regarded Qatar as the central mediator and a strategic US partner.

The campaign allegedly sought to convince Israelis that Qatar, rather than Egypt, was uniquely capable of facilitating a hostage agreement with Hamas. Other messaging raised allegations about Egyptian responsibility for weapons smuggling into Gaza and questioned Cairo’s conduct before and after the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attack.

The broader Qatargate investigation became public in early 2025 and centers on suspicions that individuals working closely with Netanyahu received money originating with Qatari interests while simultaneously promoting Doha’s preferred messages in Israel.

Urich and Feldstein were arrested in 2025 on suspicion of offenses that included contact with a foreign agent, bribery, fraud, breach of trust and money laundering. Einhorn, a longtime political strategist who worked with Netanyahu and Likud, has also been investigated in connection with the affair.

Prosecutors said in June that they were awaiting a legal assessment from the Mossad before deciding whether to file indictments in Qatargate.

Investigators suspect Urich and Feldstein performed public relations work benefiting the Qatari government through an American lobbying company while also serving as Netanyahu media advisers, while Einhorn is suspected of involvement through his Perception consulting firm.

The Qatargate investigation is separate from the classified-document case involving the German newspaper Bild, although several of the same figures are involved.

Urich was indicted in June over his alleged role in leaking classified IDF intelligence to Bild in September 2024, with prosecutors accusing him of transmitting classified information with intent to harm state security. Feldstein had already been charged in connection with the same affair.

Prosecutors allege that the Bild leak was designed to shape Israeli public opinion after the killing of six hostages in Gaza and reinforce the government’s argument that Hamas, rather than Netanyahu, was primarily responsible for blocking a hostage agreement. Urich denies wrongdoing in that case as well.

“This is a complete lie,” he said, adding that he had never attended a classified discussion or provided information to anyone.

Einhorn’s attorney, Lior Epstein, likewise rejected the allegation as “false, baseless and completely denied,” while stressing that Einhorn had never formally worked in the Prime Minister’s Office.

Israel Hayom said the Prime Minister’s Office and Feldstein’s attorney did not respond to its report. The newspaper did not report evidence that Netanyahu himself ordered or knew about the alleged transfer of classified information to Qatar.

Benjamin Netanyahuclassified informationintel leakQatar