Ex-IDF Chief Gadi Eizenkot Links Netanyahu’s Secret Hamas Contacts to Opposition Against Inquiry

Following a Walla news report revealing that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held secret direct talks with senior Hamas official Razi Hamad during the 2014 Gaza conflict Operation Protective Edge, Israeli political figures reacted strongly on Thursday. The report detailed that Netanyahu conducted these covert negotiations through his associate, businessman Shlomi Fogel, without informing top defense officials, while an official Israeli security delegation simultaneously negotiated in Cairo.

Avigdor Lieberman, leader of the Yisrael Beiteinu party, condemned Netanyahu, accusing him of a longstanding policy of secret ties with Hamas that undermined Israel’s security. Lieberman claimed Netanyahu personally authorized the transfer of suitcases of dollars to Hamas leaders and communicated with Yahya Sinwar, labeling him a danger to national security. He called for the establishment of a state investigative committee to fully expose these actions, promising it as the first government decision after the next election.

Former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot also linked the revelations to Netanyahu’s fierce opposition to forming a state inquiry into the October 7 attacks. Eizenkot criticized Netanyahu’s dual approach of public military resolve while secretly engaging with Hamas leadership, describing it as a pattern of deception and mismanagement. He further condemned Netanyahu’s close advisors for sowing discord within the defense establishment and spreading misinformation during Israel’s gravest national crisis since its founding. Eizenkot warned that this culture of irresponsibility and denial risks leading Israel to another disaster.

The disclosures intensify the political battle over the proposed state commission investigating the failures surrounding the October 7 attacks, with Netanyahu’s opponents citing the secret Hamas contacts as evidence of his unfitness to lead Israel’s security efforts.