### Netanyahu Faces Political Turmoil Over Hostage Deal Leak in Gaza Conflict

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is embroiled in a new political crisis surrounding a hostage deal in the Gaza war following the arrest of several individuals linked to an alleged leak of classified documents from his office. An Israeli court publicized the arrests on Friday afternoon, revealing that a joint probe by the police, internal security services, and the army had identified a "breach of national security" due to the unauthorized release of classified information, which had also apparently hampered Israel's war objectives.

Among those detained is reportedly one of Netanyahu's spokespersons. Though many details remain under a partial gag order, Israeli media has indicated that the documents in question relate to the release of the 101 Israeli hostages still being held by Hamas. The suspects are accused of selectively leaking and manipulating Hamas strategy documents discovered by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in Gaza, making it appear as if Hamas intended to smuggle hostages to Egypt, and subsequently, to Iran or Yemen.

In September, Netanyahu had publicized this alleged strategy during interviews and news conferences to bolster a new demand for the ongoing ceasefire and hostage release negotiations: the necessity for Israeli troops to remain stationed at the Gaza-Egypt border. Hamas rejected this demand, asserting it was beyond the terms both parties had conditionally agreed upon, resulting in a deadlock in months-long negotiations.

Netanyahu has been repeatedly accused of dragging his feet on reaching an agreement to avoid the disintegration of his coalition government. His far-right allies demand a complete victory over Hamas, and staying in power is seen as the best way for Netanyahu to evade prosecution on charges of fraud, bribery, and breach of trust, which were brought against him in 2019. The prime minister has consistently denied any wrongdoing.

Following Netanyahu’s initial mention of Hamas's supposed plan, similar reports based on the allegedly tampered documents appeared in The Jewish Chronicle and the German tabloid Bild, and were widely reported in the Israeli media. The Israeli army, concerned that the publication of these reports could compromise intelligence-gathering efforts in Gaza, initiated an investigation and stated it "was unaware of any such document existing." The Jewish Chronicle subsequently retracted the story and dismissed the journalist responsible for it.

Despite the prime minister's office claiming on Friday that no staff directly working for Netanyahu had been interrogated or detained, it refrained from denying on Saturday that the leak might have originated within his office. It also noted that numerous leaks concerning ceasefire and hostage release negotiations had surfaced in the media without prompting investigations.

The charges against the suspects are believed to include leaking classified information, mishandling the material, using it to sway public opinion, and improperly hiring an adviser without adequate security clearance. The news of these arrests has provoked outrage among Netanyahu's political opponents in Israel's deeply divided political landscape. On Saturday evening, thousands of Israelis participated in ongoing weekly demonstrations advocating for a hostage release deal.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid expressed his concern on X, stating, "We have formidable enemies abroad, but the internal threat within our most sensitive decision-making centers undermines the confidence of Israeli citizens in the prosecution of the war and in managing the most critical and volatile security issues."