A key aide to Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was indicted on Thursday on charges of jeopardizing national security, the latest twist in a long-running scandal that has raised questions about the integrity of the Israeli leader’s inner circle.

Jonatan Urich, a media adviser for the prime minister, was accused by Israel’s attorney general of helping to leak a secret military document to a German newspaper, Bild, in late 2024, with an “intent to harm state security.”

Mr. Urich’s lawyer, Amit Hadad, did not immediately respond to a request for comment, nor did Mr. Netanyahu’s office or his party, Likud. In January, Mr. Urich said in a post on social media that the investigation against him was full of “smears, lies and contradictory testimony.”

The document detailed Hamas’s position in its negotiations with Israel over the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza, according to the indictment.

Mr. Urich is the second of Mr. Netanyahu’s close aides to be indicted over the document. Critics have accused them of leaking it as part of a disinformation campaign to support Mr. Netanyahu’s conditions for a Gaza cease-fire and a hostage release deal with Hamas.

Mr. Netanyahu’s opponents accused him of having torpedoed a deal in order to prolong the war for political reasons. In its report, Bild said the document showed that Hamas was trying to manipulate the Israeli public and wanted to draw out the negotiations.

We are having trouble retrieving the article content.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

Already a subscriber? Log in.

Want all of The Times? Subscribe.

Supported by

Advertisement