Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing a growing political scandal over leaks of classified information that the families of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza say undermined support for efforts to free them.
An Israeli court last week partially lifted a gag order on the investigation, as part of which five people, including a media adviser to Netanyahu, have been arrested. The leaks related to alleged Hamas plans that appeared to support Netanyahu’s claims that the militant group, rather than the Israeli leader, was the obstacle to a deal to release the hostages.
On Tuesday, protesters blocked a busy highway in Tel Aviv, Israel’s business hub, expressing outrage at the prime minister over the leaks. They demanded a deal to end the war in Gaza and free the 101 Israeli hostages still in captivity in the enclave.