Netanyahu Conducted Secret Hamas Talks During 2014 Gaza War

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu conducted secret direct negotiations with Hamas during the 2014 Gaza war, known as Operation Protective Edge, without the knowledge of Israel's security establishment. While Netanyahu sent an official security delegation to Cairo to negotiate a ceasefire via Egyptian mediators, he simultaneously operated a parallel backchannel.

Under the guidance of then-National Security Council chief Yossi Cohen, Netanyahu used businessman Shlomi Fogel as an intermediary to hold phone talks with Razi Hamed, a senior Hamas figure and then-deputy minister in the Gaza government.

When defense officials discovered the channel and confronted Netanyahu, he initially denied involvement and ordered them to tell Fogel to stop. However, Fogel later provided proof that the talks were authorized and directed by Netanyahu. Security officials described the revelation as a shock, noting that the Prime Minister had bypassed the very system he had appointed to handle the negotiations.