Families of Israeli captives deny leaking Netanyahu Qatar tape
Al Jazeera
In leaked audio, Israeli PM is heard criticising Doha in its role in negotiating the release of captives held by Hamas.
Families of Israelis held captive in Gaza have said denied they were behind the leak of audio in which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticised Qatar’s role in talks with Hamas over the release of the captives.
“All conversations that take place in meetings with the Prime Minister are recorded by his office and his associates present at the meeting,” Haim Rubinstein, a spokesperson for the families, said on Thursday in a statement cited on Israeli media.
“The families participating in the meeting had their phones taken at the entrance,” he said, adding that the leak was a “grave issue that indicates a loss of control”.
His comment came a day after the prime minister’s office blamed one of the family members for the leak.
Israeli media outlet Walla on Thurdsay reported that the prime minister’s office doubled down on blaming the families, saying that it has evidence in the form of a text message from one of their members present at the meeting.
