Reports emerge of Netanyahu's secret communication channel with Hamas during 2014 Gaza war

A report by journalist Ben Caspit in the newspaper Maariv alleges that during the 2014 Israel-Gaza conflict, known as Operation Protective Edge, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu maintained a secret, direct communication channel with Hamas. This clandestine line reportedly operated independently of the official Israeli negotiating team and security leadership, who were simultaneously conducting truce talks in Cairo under Egyptian mediation.

According to the report, Israeli businessman Shlomi Fogel, a close associate of Netanyahu, allegedly engaged in weeks of phone discussions with Ghazi Hamad, a senior Hamas official in Gaza. The allegations suggest that Netanyahu provided the guidelines for these talks, while Yossi Cohen, then head of the National Security Council, oversaw the technical formation of the communications.

This secret track supposedly undermined the official delegation's efforts to reach a ceasefire during the 50-day war. In response to these claims, the office of the Prime Minister has formally rejected the report, labeling it as false. No further investigations or official legal proceedings have been announced at this time.