An aide to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing indictment on security charges for allegedly leaking classified military information during the war in Gaza, Israel’s attorney general announced Sunday.
Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara said Jonatan Urich, a close adviser to Netanyahu, and another aide are accused of leaking sensitive intelligence to the German newspaper Bild to influence public opinion in favor of the prime minister. The leak reportedly related to the killing of six Israeli hostages by Palestinian captors in Gaza in August 2024, a case that triggered nationwide protests and criticism of Netanyahu’s handling of ceasefire talks.
Legal proceedings against Urich began in late 2024. He denies any wrongdoing, and Netanyahu has described the investigations as a political witch-hunt.
The Bild article, published shortly after the hostages were found dead in a Hamas tunnel, outlined Hamas’s alleged negotiation tactics and supported Netanyahu’s claims that the group was responsible for the breakdown in ceasefire talks.
Four of the six hostages had reportedly been scheduled for release under a potential truce that ultimately fell through. Bild has maintained that its article was based on authentic documents but declined to comment on its sources.
A temporary ceasefire was reached in January 2025, resulting in the release of 38 hostages. Talks for a new truce are ongoing in Doha.
Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara said Jonatan Urich, a close adviser to Netanyahu, and another aide are accused of leaking sensitive intelligence to the German newspaper Bild to influence public opinion in favor of the prime minister. The leak reportedly related to the killing of six Israeli hostages by Palestinian captors in Gaza in August 2024, a case that triggered nationwide protests and criticism of Netanyahu’s handling of ceasefire talks.
Legal proceedings against Urich began in late 2024. He denies any wrongdoing, and Netanyahu has described the investigations as a political witch-hunt.
The Bild article, published shortly after the hostages were found dead in a Hamas tunnel, outlined Hamas’s alleged negotiation tactics and supported Netanyahu’s claims that the group was responsible for the breakdown in ceasefire talks.
Four of the six hostages had reportedly been scheduled for release under a potential truce that ultimately fell through. Bild has maintained that its article was based on authentic documents but declined to comment on its sources.
A temporary ceasefire was reached in January 2025, resulting in the release of 38 hostages. Talks for a new truce are ongoing in Doha.
