An adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing possible indictment on national security charges for allegedly leaking classified military information to a German media outlet during Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza.
Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara announced late Sunday that Jonatan Urich, a senior aide to Netanyahu, along with another adviser, is accused of unlawfully obtaining sensitive military intelligence and leaking it to Bild, a prominent German newspaper. The case is pending a pre-indictment hearing.
According to the Attorney General’s statement, the purpose of the leak was to manipulate public sentiment in Netanyahu’s favor and influence national discourse following the controversial deaths of six Israeli hostages in August 2024.
“The objective was to shape public opinion regarding Prime Minister Netanyahu and the broader conversation around the killing of the six hostages,” Baharav-Miara said.
The bodies of the six hostages were recovered from a Hamas tunnel in southern Gaza, sparking national outrage and mass protests. Grieving families accused Netanyahu of derailing ceasefire negotiations for political leverage—an allegation the Prime Minister has strongly denied, blaming Hamas for the breakdown in talks.
“It was Hamas that walked away from the deal,” Netanyahu has repeatedly asserted. Hamas, in turn, claims Israel is responsible for the collapse of the negotiations.
At the time, Israeli defense officials had confirmed that four of the six hostages were among a group of more than 30 captives whom Hamas had agreed to release as part of a proposed ceasefire arrangement.
The Bild article at the center of the controversy was published just days after the bodies were recovered. It closely echoed Netanyahu’s narrative of Hamas’ intransigence and cited “authentic documents” as its source. While the publication has stood by its reporting, it has declined to comment on its sources. It also did not respond to follow-up inquiries on Monday after news of the Israeli legal probe emerged.
The investigation and looming indictment come at a politically charged moment for Netanyahu’s government, already under intense pressure at home and abroad over its handling of the war in Gaza.
