Netanyahu orders tighter censorship on coverage of prisoner swap deal

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has requested the military impose stricter restrictions on media reports regarding negotiations for a prisoner exchange deal with Hamas, according to a report published by Israel Hayom yesterday.

The report stated that Netanyahu’s office urged the military censor to enforce more stringent controls than usual on the dissemination of information about the potential deal. This comes amid a blackout on the details of the negotiations and an air of optimism expressed by Washington and Tel Aviv regarding the possibility of successful talks.

While the military censor declined to comment, Netanyahu’s office said: “The Prime Minister has instructed ministers and security officials to fully adhere to information security protocols during security discussions.”

Netanyahu and his coalition partners have repeatedly sabotaged any agreement that would end the war on Gaza. Reports from the 9 and 10 October 2023 show that Hamas agreed to a prisoner swap deal immediately after 7 October but the Netanyahu government refused instead insisting on launching their ongoing genocidal campaign on Gaza.

Read: Netanyahu tightens grip on power through Gaza genocide