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Attorney-General to Indict Netanyahu Aide Yonatan Urich Over 2024 Bild Leak

Prosecutors say the release of a censored Gaza-war document to German tabloid Bild was meant to reshape public messaging with possible political consequences for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Overview

  • The attorney-general announced on May 28, 2026 that he will file a criminal indictment against Yonatan Urich for transmitting secret information with intent to harm state security, possession of secret information, and destroying evidence.
  • The alleged leak involved a 2024 classified Israeli military document published by Bild that prosecutors say was used to argue Hamas opposed a ceasefire and to support a hardline negotiating stance during the Gaza war.
  • Two other former Netanyahu aides, Eli Feldstein and Ari Rosenfeld, are already indicted in the same case and prosecutors said additional figures including Israel Einhorn are implicated.
  • Urich’s lawyers immediately called the decision disconnected from the evidence and cited a judge’s finding that there was no proof of his involvement, while some outlets and Netanyahu allies described the move as politically driven.
  • The case ties into broader national-security and foreign-influence questions because Urich and Feldstein were earlier arrested in a separate probe into suspected Qatari payments, and the affair could intensify pressure on Netanyahu ahead of fall elections.