Five individuals from Israel were detained on charges of disclosing confidential information from Prime Minister Netanyahu's office to Hamas.

Last week, Israeli authorities apprehended five officials, including four from a military intelligence unit, for allegedly revealing confidential information to foreign media outlets.

An Israeli military officer working in the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was one of five people arrested during an investigation into leaked classified documents. The officer, identified as 32-year-old Eli Feldstein, worked in the prime minister’s office as a military spokesperson and was among five suspects arrested late last week. The names of the other suspects are under a gag order, according to Israeli news agency TPS.

According to Haaretz, four suspects belong to a military unit responsible for safeguarding the release of confidential information.

The documents that were leaked were allegedly written by Hamas. They were reportedly used as the basis for a report in the London-based Jewish Chronicle, which claimed in September that Hamas had a plan to smuggle Israeli hostages out of Gaza to the Sinai and transfer them to Iran. However, the Chronicle later retracted the report and fired the journalist, stating that the story had been fabricated.

The report in Germany's popular Bild daily claimed that Hamas was intentionally prolonging hostage negotiations to exert psychological pressure on the Israeli government, according to the documents.

The report from the Bild in September poses a constant threat to the safety of Israeli soldiers and hostages being held in the Gaza Strip, according to unnamed sources, as reported by Israel's Channel 12.

The documents were not discovered by Israeli forces in Gaza but by "a different kind of intelligence," which could reveal Israel's intelligence-gathering techniques.

Netanyahu was under pressure to reach a cease-fire and hostage release agreement, and Feldstein is suspected of receiving classified documents before they were reported in the Chronicle and Bild, with an interpretation that favored Netanyahu.

Investigations are ongoing to determine why Feldstein, who lacked the necessary security clearance, was granted access not only to confidential documents but also to classified meetings.

Israel's Channel 12 chief political analyst, Amit Segal, stated to Planet Chronicle Digital that for a year, there has been a debate between Netanyahu and the top security establishment regarding the cost of releasing the hostages. This conflict has been accompanied by leaks, some legal and some not. The Shin Bet is currently investigating whether Netanyahu's people crossed the line and used classified information. Segal added that he believes this will not significantly impact Israel's political landscape, and Netanyahu is unlikely to be found involved in the case. He stated that this incident simply highlights the mistrust between the PM and the security establishment.

In a joint press conference in Tel Aviv, opposition leaders Yair Lapid and Benny Gantz raised questions about whether the leak occurred on Netanyahu's orders. "If Netanyahu's defense is true, he is ineligible to lead the State of Israel in the most difficult war in its history," Lapid said. "The investigation should examine if the case originated from the Prime Minister's Office and if it was not on the prime minister's orders."

Gideon Rahat, a professor in the Department of Political Science at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, agreed with Segal's analysis that the leaks will not harm Netanyahu. He stated on Planet Chronicle Digital that "Netanyahu is a populist leader, and nothing will happen from his hardcore followers. He will use it for his own gain and then claim that the deep state is after him."

According to Rahat, Netanyahu views Israel's court system, security service, and military as the deep state.

Netanyahu's administration is characterized by populist views that "Everything dealing with investigations and trials is against populist leaders," according to Rahat. In contrast, the administration of former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, a non-populist leader, did not hold such views.

Olmert's leadership during the 2006 Lebanon war was not successful, with only 3% support among the population. However, he acknowledged that his failure paled in comparison to the devastating October 7th attacks.

The second Lebanon war was initiated by Hezbollah's kidnapping of Israeli soldiers, not by the massacre of nearly 1,200 people, as commonly believed. Additionally, Hamas also kidnapped over 250 people.

Netanyahu has 30% plus support and his electoral base continues to keep him in the game, according to Rahat.

Today, politics are viewed differently. Politicians are no longer held accountable for events that occur under their leadership, according to Rahat.