The Prime Minister's Office on Saturday night responded to the publication of the security document this evening and denied any connection to its leak.
According to them, the document in question was not passed on at all from IDF Intelligence to the Prime Minister's Office, and that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was first exposed to it only through the media.
According to the office, the person mentioned in the leak had never participated in security discussions, had not been exposed to classified information, and had not taken part in secret visits. "To suggest that the publication of the article in Germany – whose purpose was to support Israel's positions, and which included a document of the kind that has been published with official approval in the past – caused any damage to the negotiations for the release of the hostages or to Israel's security is simply ridiculous," the Prime Minister's Office said.
In addition, the Prime Minister's office clarified that the document in question had actually aided the effort to recover the hostages and not hindered it. According to the report, the ad was intended to exert psychological pressure on the Israeli government and public, while blaming Israel for the difficulties in the negotiations – even though American officials repeatedly stressed that Hamas was the one preventing the deal to free the hostages from going through.
The Prime Minister's Office also stated that since the outbreak of the war there had been a disturbing increase in deliberate leaks from secret cabinet meetings, including discussions on security matters and the release of hostages. Among other things, they cited the leak of a defamatory video from the Sde Teiman base against IDF soldiers and the leak from MK Gilad Kariv from the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. "In the face of this troubling wave of leaks," it was reported, "it is puzzling how it is that a document whose contents were known and contributed to the Israeli effort is the subject of an aggressive and targeted investigation."
"While there was no leakage from the Prime Minister's Office, there were indeed dozens of leaks that were published in media outlets in Israel and abroad, exposing details about the negotiations to return the hostages, from secret cabinet meetings and other sensitive forums - without anyone being interrogated."
On Friday, Netanyahu called for the removal of the publication ban imposed on the case. "It was not for nothing that Prime Minister Netanyahu demanded the immediate lifting of the publication ban for the investigation, whose prolonged blackout was intended to tarnish his office."
Several suspects were arrested as part of an investigation by the ISA, the Israel Police, and the IDF regarding information leaks in a matter of concern to the Prime Minister's Office.
The suspects are charged with endangering sensitive information and information sources, as well as suspicion of disrupting the achievement of the war objectives in the Gaza Strip. So far, most of the details have remained forbidden for publication.
The President of the Magistrate's Courts in the Central District, Judge Menachem Mizrachi, decided yesterday to reduce the publication ban in the security case. "Last week, the overt phase began in a joint investigation of the ISA, Israel Police, and the IDF, with its focus on a security breach on the background of unauthorized disclosure of classified information. This concerns endangering sensitive information and information sources, as well as disrupting the achievement of the war objectives in the Gaza Strip. At this stage, several suspects have been arrested for investigation, and the investigation is ongoing," wrote the judge.
Following the release of the new details, the Prime Minister's Office issued a statement for the third time within 24 hours regarding the serious case: "Contrary to false reports and the impression attempted to be portrayed in the media, no one from the Prime Minister's Office has been interrogated or arrested." However, contrary to the statement, one of the alleged detainees is close to Netanyahu, who accompanied him closely during the months of the war.
Security officials define the case as a "very serious security event," which they say "genuinely disrupted Israel's war efforts." According to the officials, at the core of the case is a problem of "reckless access" to Israel's intelligence secrets.
Opposition Leader Yair Lapid said: "The Prime Minister is already trying as usual to distance himself from the case and assign responsibility to others, but the facts are the opposite - he is personally responsible for every paper, word, or information coming out of his office. We have tough enemies from outside, but the danger from within and at the heart of the most sensitive decision-making rattles the foundations of Israelis' trust in the management of the war, and in handling the most sensitive and explosive security issues."
MK Benny Gantz (National Unity) added in a tweet: "Without going into the details of the investigated case concerning the activities of the Prime Minister's Office, it is important to emphasize one thing - the Prime Minister is responsible for what happens in his office. For better or worse."