Netanyahu Conducted Secret Direct Negotiations with Hamas During 2014 Gaza War
During the 2014 Gaza conflict known as Operation Protective Edge, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu engaged in secret direct negotiations with Hamas, bypassing the official security establishment. These talks were conducted through an Israeli businessman close to Netanyahu, Shlomi Fogel, who communicated directly by phone with Razi Hamad, a senior Hamas official in Gaza. The negotiations lasted several weeks in July and August 2014, with Netanyahu providing instructions, National Security Advisor Meir Ben-Shabbat involved in guidance, and former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen shaping the messages.
This secret channel operated simultaneously with official ceasefire talks led by a security delegation sent by Netanyahu to Egypt, which included senior military and intelligence figures such as Maj. Gen. Poli Mordechai, Nimrod Sheffer, Amos Gilad, and Shin Bet chief Yoram Cohen. The official talks, conducted through Egyptian mediators with Hamas representatives, failed to produce a breakthrough. Meanwhile, the security establishment was unaware of Netanyahu's parallel direct contact with Hamas.
When the security apparatus discovered the covert channel, they confronted Fogel, who initially was warned to cease the independent negotiations. However, the talks continued, and upon a second inquiry, Fogel demonstrated he was acting under Netanyahu's authority and receiving instructions from National Security Advisor Yossi Cohen. This revelation shocked senior security officials, as the direct negotiations bypassed the IDF Chief of Staff, Military Intelligence, Mossad, and the official delegation.
Razi Hamad, a known Hamas terrorist and former deputy foreign minister in Gaza, led the Hamas side of the talks. The existence of this secret channel surprised the entire Israeli security leadership, highlighting Netanyahu's unilateral approach to managing the conflict and ceasefire efforts. A former senior National Security Council official described the discovery as a major shock, emphasizing that Netanyahu had simultaneously authorized official indirect talks and private direct negotiations through a businessman.
This disclosure sheds light on the complexity and internal divisions within Israel's security and political leadership during one of its most intense conflicts with Hamas.
