November 2024 Israel Document Leak

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Part of a series on 2023-2024 Hamas-Israel Conflict. [View Related Entries]

Overview

The November 2024 Israel Document Leak, also known as the November 2024 Gaza Documents Leak, refers to a significant leak of classified material in early November 2024 involving an aide to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who allegedly fed stories to European newspapers based on partial or false information related to the ongoing Hamas-Israel conflict. The leaked documents triggered widespread discussions and concerns amid intense public pressure for a deal to release Israeli hostages and end the fighting in Gaza and Palestine.

Background

On November 3rd, 2024, Eli Feldstein, a spokesperson working with the Israel Prime Minister’s Office, was accused of divulging top-secret information with national security implications to the European media outlets Bild, a German news website, and the London-based Jewish Chronicle.^[1]

According to BBC,^[2] the leaked information given to Britain’s Jewish Chronicle and Germany’s tabloid Bild was reportedly based on partial or false information that Hamas was drawing out hostage talks as a form of psychological warfare on Israel, which "came at a crucial time for hostage negotiations."

On November 4th, 2024, the FRANCE 24 English YouTube^[3] channel posted a video with its correspondent journalist from Jerusalem Noga Tarnopolsky to comment on the leaked documents, which amassed roughly 7,000 views and 80 likes in a day (shown below).

Developments

Israel's Response

In response to the leak, Israeli officials confirmed the veracity of the classified information, as NBC News^[4] correspondent Claudio Lanvaga reported in a video posted on the news organization's YouTube channel on November 4th, 2024. The video (seen below) amassed over 100,000 views and 710 likes in a day.

Online Reactions

Following the media coverage of the story, numerous netizens took to social media to comment on the implications of the leaked documents and react to them in early November 2024.

For example, on November 4th, 2024, X^[5] user @Kahlissee posted a video of a BBC journalist talking about the leaks, writing, "that Netanyahu's office leaked and fabricated documents to undermine CEASEFIRE negotiations & release of hostages." The post (seen below) garnered more than 224,000 views and 11,000 likes in a day.

The leaked documents also became a discussion topic on Reddit. For instance, on November 4th, 2024, Redditor knownothingwiseguy^[6] posted a screenshot of the BBC headline about the controversy, writing that "for the last year we've been repeatedly told (by the US especially) that Israel was ready to sign a deal & it was Hamas that was refusing." The post amassed more than 1,100 upvotes and 40 comments in a day.