Israeli police arrest senior aide to Netanyahu for obstructing probe tied to Gaza war leaks
Israeli police have detained a senior aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, suspected of obstructing an investigation allegedly tied to leaks of military information during the Gaza war.
“This morning, a senior official in the prime minister’s office was detained for questioning... on suspicion of obstructing an investigation,” the police said on Sunday.
“The suspect... is currently being questioned under caution,” the police added, without naming the individual.
However, Israeli media reported that the detained individual is Tzachi Braverman, Netanyahu’s current chief of staff, who is designated to be Israel’s next ambassador to the UK.
In a post on X, opposition leader Yair Lapid called for the suspension of Braverman's appointment as ambassador to the UK, following his questioning by the police.
“In light of the new developments in the Qatargate affair, the appointment of Tzachi Braverman as ambassador to Britain must be immediately suspended,” he wrote.
“It is unacceptable that someone suspected of involvement in obstructing a serious security investigation should be the face of Israel in one of the most important countries in Europe.”
Former Netanyahu aide Eli Feldstein recently alleged that Braverman tried to obstruct an investigation into a leak of sensitive military information to the foreign press during the war against Gaza.
In September 2024, Feldstein leaked a classified document from the Israeli military to the German tabloid Bild, for which he was later arrested and indicted.
The document aimed to prove that Hamas was not interested in a ceasefire deal, and to support Netanyahu’s claim that the captives captured by Palestinian fighters during the October 7, 2023, operation could only be released through military pressure instead of negotiations.
In an interview with Israel’s public broadcaster KAN, Feldstein said Braverman asked to meet with him soon after the leak.
Braverman informed him that the military had launched a probe into the affair, saying he could “shut down” the investigation, according to Feldstein.
In the same interview, Feldstein said Netanyahu was aware of the leak and was in favor of using the document to drum up public support for the war.
Feldstein is also a suspect in the so-called “Qatargate” scandal, in which he and another Netanyahu aide are suspected of having orchestrated or been involved in a campaign to improve Qatar's image abroad.
An investigation is underway, and Feldstein, together with Yonatan Urich, was taken into custody in late March.
Braverman is not suspected of direct involvement in the Qatargate affair, according to Israeli media.
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