Prison Service Commissioner Kobi Yacobi recently sent a confidential letter to top security officials warning about Hamas prisoners in Israeli jails. According to a document obtained by Israel Hayom, Yacobi stated that these prisoners are already dividing leadership roles among themselves for "the day after" the war.
Yacobi warned that some prisoners likely to be released in a potential deal may join Hamas leadership. He emphasized that this poses a significant security risk, potentially leading to new terror attacks, stressing tha this information should be considered in ongoing hostage negotiations.
In his letter, Yacobi pointed out that most of Hamas's leadership over the past decade came from released prisoners and suggested that current prisoners may fill the vacuum in Hamas's damaged command structure.
The warning was sent to the National Security Council, IDF Chief of Staff, Shin Bet head, and Defense Minister. It comes as hostage release negotiations continue in Egypt, though no substantial results have been reported yet.
In response to the leaked document, the Prison Service stated: "We don't comment on closed discussions or confidential correspondence. We regret the repeated leaks. The Prison Service implements government decisions as part of the national war effort."
* Kikar Shabbat contributed to this article.