Jerusalem, 22 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — After more than two years of secrecy, Israel’s Supreme Court on Thursday lifted a gag order surrounding one of the country’s most high-profile military espionage cases since the outbreak of the war on October 7, 2023. The ruling allows the public to learn the identity of the man accused of infiltrating the Israel Defense Forces’ Southern Command headquarters: Assaf Shmuelevitz.
Shmuelevitz faces multiple serious charges, including espionage, unauthorized possession of classified information, fraud, and trespassing in a military zone. According to the indictment, filed in November 2023, Shmuelevitz entered the Southern Command base in Beer-Sheva during the immediate aftermath of the Hamas attacks. Prosecutors allege he posed as a reserve officer with the rank of captain, exploiting the confusion of mass mobilization to attend highly classified operational meetings for roughly a week.
“During a moment of unprecedented national emergency, Shmuelevitz allegedly exploited acute vulnerabilities in our security framework,” Supreme Court Justice Gila Canfy-Steinitz wrote in Thursday’s decision. The court rejected Shmuelevitz’s appeal to keep his identity sealed, citing both the passage of time since the outbreak of hostilities and the public’s right to know about alleged breaches of National security.
Authorities say that Shmuelevitz recorded mission plans, intelligence data, and other secret materials in a notebook discovered on the base. Prosecutors allege he shared this information with unauthorized individuals, and in some cases recruited soldiers into what was described as a wartime intelligence team operating outside legal authority.
Shmuelevitz’s defense argued that revealing his identity could endanger him, citing widespread online conspiracy theories claiming he collaborated with the enemy. Justice Canfy-Steinitz dismissed these concerns, noting that the claims were raised only at the appeal stage and that Shmuelevitz remains in custody under hospitalization conditions, with no evidence demonstrating a credible threat.
The court did, however, partially grant the state’s request to protect senior officers’ identities, including colonels and above, citing both National security concerns and the potential for harassment abroad.
Shmuelevitz’s family issued a statement in his defense, saying, “Since the investigation began, Asaf was presented as a spy and traitor, while we claim he left his home on October 7 as an Israeli patriot to contribute to the war effort. With the publication of the case details, it is clear that this is not espionage, and the charges are disproportionate.” The family added that Shmuelevitz acted as a reservist, completing mobilization procedures with authorization from senior Southern Command figures, and that — at most — he committed a minor information security violation.
A medical evaluation recognized by the state concluded that Shmuelevitz was mentally unfit at the time of the alleged events. He has chosen to continue with the trial, asserting that he would be acquitted once the evidence is fully reviewed.
Shmuelevitz’s trial is ongoing at the Beer-Sheva District Court. He is being held under hospitalization conditions, with his detention periodically extended as proceedings continue. Eleven evidentiary hearings have been held, with testimony from 21 witnesses, ranging from junior soldiers to senior officers.
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