Netanyahu chief of staff reportedly faces indictment over Bild leak case

Prosecutors intend to indict Tzachi Braverman, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s chief of staff, over his alleged involvement in the 2024 leak of classified material to Germany’s Bild newspaper, Hebrew media reported Monday. The reports said Justice Ministry officials indicated after a hearing last month that they planned to pursue charges of fraud, breach of trust and obstruction of justice.

The allegations against Braverman concern a purported secret meeting at night with Eli Feldstein, the main suspect in the leak affair. Braverman is suspected of telling Feldstein that an investigation into the disclosure was underway and saying he could stop it if Feldstein was connected to the matter.

Feldstein and another central suspect were arrested several days after the alleged encounter. They were later indicted on charges that included transferring classified documents in connection with the Bild leak. Prosecutors had previously announced plans to indict Braverman, but could not file charges before his hearing took place.

Feldstein and Jonatan Urich, a senior media adviser to Netanyahu, have both been charged with transferring classified information with the intent to harm state security. They are accused of disclosing the material shortly after Hamas killed six hostages as Israeli troops approached their place of captivity beneath the southern Gaza city of Rafah, unaware that they were being held there.

The material was an internal Hamas memorandum acquired by Israeli military intelligence. It appeared to suggest that Hamas had no interest in reaching a hostage agreement. According to the allegations, the document was passed to Bild as a way of circumventing Israel’s military censor.

The memorandum was about nine months old at the time of its disclosure. Subsequent media reports indicated that Bild had distorted its contents to advance Netanyahu’s interests, apparently seeking to reinforce his argument that Hamas was responsible for delaying an agreement to free the hostages in Gaza.

Neither the State Attorney’s Office nor Braverman commented on Monday’s reports. The allegations have prevented Braverman from taking up his appointment as Israel’s next ambassador to the United Kingdom.

Braverman is separately being investigated on suspicion of forgery and fraud involving the unlawful alteration of records in the Prime Minister’s Office. Those records concern the day of the Hamas-led terror attack on October 7, 2023.