An Israeli citizen was recently arrested on suspicion of committing "grave" security offences, Ynet has learned.
Sources told Ynet the suspect has been under investigation by the Shin Bet and the Israel Police for several weeks and is currently being held in custody.
The suspect, whose identity and alleged crimes are still under a gag order, was apparently barred from meeting with a lawyer for 20 days, which appears to be a common practice when it comes to serious security offenses.
Ashkelon Magistrates Court on Wednesday ordered the release of the suspect under house arrest, but the police appealed the release to the Be'er Sheva District Court. On Thursday, the Be'er Sheva court ruled the suspect's remand will be extended until July 9.
"Until then, the state will formulate a position on whether to file an indictment with a request for detention until the end of the legal proceedings or for release of the suspect," said the judge during Thursday's hearing.
"If the facts allow an indictment, you should file an indictment. The overall picture is very unimpressive. It does not seem to me that there is anything dramatic here, that we have saved the State of Israel," added the judge in an apparent criticism of the prosecution.
The suspect's lawyers, attorneys Avi Chimi and Moshe Weiss, said their client is "a loyal citizen of the State of Israel and it is not for nothing that the [Ashkelon] court ordered his release."