In leaked audio, the Israeli prime minister is heard criticizing Doha for its role in negotiating the release of captives held by Hamas.
The families of Israelis held captive in Gaza have denied being behind the leak of an audio in which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized Qatar's role in talks with Hamas on 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 spokesman for the families, said Thursday in a statement cited in Israeli media.
“Families who participated in the meeting had their phones taken away at the entrance,” he said, adding that the leak was a “serious problem 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 it has evidence in the form of a text message from one of its members present at the meeting.
“The girl next to me had a phone, it's a shame I didn't tell her,” the message says, according to Walla.
In the audio that sparked the controversy, broadcast on Tuesday by Israeli Channel 12, Netanyahu is heard saying that Qatar's involvement in the release of captives was “problematic.”
He also blamed Qatar for funding Hamas and said he was upset by the US decision to expand the presence of a military base in the Gulf state.
Majed Al-Ansari, spokesperson for Qatar's Foreign Ministry, responded to the comments by saying he was “horrified.”
Around 240 people were captured by Hamas fighters when they launched an unprecedented attack in southern Israel on October 7, killing at least 1,139 people, according to an Al Jazeera tally based on Israeli statistics.
Israel responded with a devastating bombing and ground invasion of Gaza, which has displaced more than 80 percent of the population and reduced much of the territory to rubble. Palestinian officials say at least 25,700 people have been killed and more than 63,000 wounded in the Israeli attack.
After lengthy negotiations led by Qatar and the United States, more than 100 of those captured were released in late November in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails while Israel and Hamas observed a week-long truce.
The Gulf state remains involved in talks aimed at securing a new deal for the release of approximately 130 captives still held by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups.
Al-Ansari said Netanyahu's leaked comments were detrimental to those efforts.
“If the reported statements are found to be true, the Israeli prime minister would only be obstructing and undermining the mediation process, for reasons that appear to serve his political career rather than prioritizing saving innocent lives, including Israeli hostages,” he said.
