New details have emerged about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's connection to the German newspaper Bild, which was at the center of a leak of a classified Hamas document.
On Thursday night, Panorama, the flagship investigative program on Germany’s public broadcaster ARD—watched by millions—aired a special report revealing secret ties between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, Bild, its parent company Axel Springer, and the leaked classified document.
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier
(Photo: GPO)
Under the headline “Hamas hostages: What role did Bild play?” the investigation, led by journalist Stephan Buchen, delivered scathing and unprecedented criticism of Netanyahu and his office, focusing on their close relationship with Germany’s most widely read newspaper. The report opened with the following:
“Little suggests that historical judgment of Netanyahu will be merciful. Much more likely, he will be remembered as the prime minister who destroyed Israeli democracy and dragged the country into a bloody war in Gaza, leaving tens of thousands dead, all to preserve his rule and that of his hyper-nationalist coalition, even at the cost of Israeli hostages’ lives. Along the way, one loyal ally remained: the German newspaper Bild and the Axel Springer group.”
The report detailed how Netanyahu “enlisted Bild to serve his goals,” noting that the paper echoed Netanyahu’s narrative that Hamas sought continued war rather than a deal to release the hostages. “In September, Netanyahu received significant support from Bild,” the program stated.
According to Panorama, “In early September, Netanyahu used Springer’s newspaper to communicate three key messages to the world: Hamas does not want to end the war soon; negotiations are pointless; and families of the hostages calling for a deal are serving Hamas.” This message was delivered in a September 6, 2024, Bild article that cited a “classified Hamas war document.” The program noted that critics of Netanyahu were portrayed in Bild as essentially supporting Hamas through their protests.
The report emphasized that the timing of the article, just after six hostages were killed, was politically beneficial for Netanyahu, as the public outcry had triggered the largest anti-government protests since the war began. The article in Bild, Panorama noted, implied those protesters were acting exactly as Hamas would wish. The story was widely reported in Israeli media, and Netanyahu himself quoted Bild two days later during a cabinet meeting.
Panorama argued that the Bild article had severely distorted the contents of the document it was based on. Contrary to Bild's claim that the classified document reflected the views of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the report said it was actually a position paper written by an unknown operative in Hamas’ military intelligence wing during spring 2024.
The ARD investigation stated that it reviewed the original text, and found that—far from rejecting negotiations—the document indicated Hamas did want a deal with Israel. It referenced “flexibility” in negotiations and described Hamas’ interest in a cease-fire lasting 84 days, potentially paving the way toward an end to the war. None of these points appeared in Bild’s reporting.
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The report went on to outline the depth of the long-standing relationship between Netanyahu and Axel Springer. Since Netanyahu began his second term in 2009, Bild has regularly published favorable stories about him, including exclusive interviews and even a 2012 profile of his wife Sara Netanyahu titled, “How hard is it to be Israel’s first lady?” Axel Springer CEO Mathias Döpfner is a personal acquaintance of Netanyahu. In 2014, Döpfner purchased the Israeli website Yad2 from Netanyahu’s confidants for a reported €200 million—a price some experts consider excessive. Döpfner has also been summoned to testify in Netanyahu’s corruption trial.
Following the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023, Bild’s deputy editor Paul Ronzheimer conducted two lengthy, sympathetic interviews with Netanyahu. He also interviewed key Israeli officials including Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi, and Defense Minister Israel Katz—access denied to most other German journalists. This close collaboration culminated with the September 6 article leaking the Hamas document, co-authored by Ronzheimer and fellow Bild journalist Philip Piatov.
Panorama reached out to Axel Springer for comment on allegations that Bild was used to undermine Israel’s protest movement. A spokesperson replied: “As a matter of principle, we do not comment on editorial processes or sources.” Netanyahu’s office did not respond to the program’s inquiries.