Eli Feldstein, an advisor in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, has been arrested on charges of “espionage.”
An Israeli court has announced that Feldstein is among four individuals detained in an operation based on allegations of “leaking classified information” aimed at undermining ceasefire efforts in Gaza. The other three detainees, whose identities have not been disclosed, are reported to be from the security establishment.
The court is currently evaluating whether military information that allegedly flowed from the Israeli army to the Prime Minister’s Office—and subsequently to foreign media—has compromised or might compromise attempts to free hostages held in Gaza.
According to Haaretz, the main suspicion centers on Feldstein’s alleged illegal acquisition of top-secret documents from security personnel. These documents were then reportedly leaked to international media with manipulated interpretations aligned with Netanyahu’s office’s narrative.
During a hearing, one suspect’s attorney argued that his client shared information about the hostages with Feldstein, believing the Prime Minister should be informed.
What information was leaked and why?
In May, U.S. President Joe Biden proposed a ceasefire in Gaza coupled with a prisoner exchange after securing initial agreement from Israeli officials. However, Netanyahu insisted that Israeli forces remain in the Philadelphi Corridor between Gaza and Egypt to prevent Hamas from rearming and to stop further “kidnapping” of Israeli hostages. Israeli defense officials argued that this request was unnecessary for security and accused Netanyahu of undermining the ceasefire proposal.
Shortly after, European media outlets published reports citing documents that appeared to support Netanyahu’s new precondition for a ceasefire.
The German daily Bild alleged that Hamas was using hostage negotiations as “psychological warfare against Israel,” while the London-based Jewish Chronicle reported that Hamas was planning to smuggle Israeli hostages out of Gaza via Egypt.
The investigation, which commenced following these reports, accuses the suspects of “leaking confidential documents.”
Details of the investigation remain under a publication ban, though the court partially lifted the gag order yesterday. This revealed that Eli Feldstein, identified as an advisor in Netanyahu’s office, is the primary suspect in the alleged leaks.
According to reports, Feldstein’s role as an “advisor” in Netanyahu’s office—as opposed to an official “spokesperson”—is due to his failure to pass the security checks required for a formal spokesperson appointment.
