Netanyahu Aide in Leak Scandal Placed on Suicide Watch in Prison
Eli Feldstein, a former spokesman and aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has been placed under suicide prevention watch in a southern Israeli prison. Feldstein is the central suspect in the leaks scandal within the Prime Minister’s Office and is accused of transferring classified documents to foreign media.
The Israel Prison Service confirmed on Monday that a “security prisoner” had been relocated to a monitored cell after wardens found items in his cell that could facilitate self-harm. Hebrew media identified Feldstein as the prisoner, reporting that guards found a rubber strip that could have been used as a noose.
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This development follows the announcement by the State Attorney’s Office on Sunday that it intends to indict Feldstein and another suspect for leaking classified information, conspiring to harm the state, and other related charges.
Feldstein is alleged to have leaked a sensitive document to Germany’s Bild newspaper in September. The article, published shortly after Hamas murdered six Israeli hostages, reportedly sought to shift public blame onto Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and deflect criticism from Netanyahu amid protests over the handling of hostage negotiations.
The leak, according to investigators, posed severe risks to national security and disrupted IDF and Shin Bet operations in Gaza. The document was initially removed from IDF control by a reservist noncommissioned officer (NCO) in April, who passed it to Feldstein via social media. Feldstein reportedly held the document for months before using it to influence public discourse.
