No Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) official was invited to the visit conducted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, Israeli media reported on Wednesday.
According to the reports, it is customary for a representative of the agency that oversees the area to take part in such visits.
The Prime Minister's Office was cited as saying in response, "This is a military visit, not a Shin Bet visit."
On Tuesday, two sources told The Jerusalem Post that the scheduled security briefing for Tuesday was canceled after Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich told Netanyahu he would not participate in security meetings where Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar was to take part.
The minister made the remarks following the security affair revealed on Tuesday, which saw a Shin Bet official arrested on suspicion of leaking classified information to an elected official and two journalists.
The Wednesday report comes amid prior tensions between the agency chief and the prime minister over the Qatargate affair and the government's decision to fire Bar.
Netanyahu's Gaza visit
During his visit, Netanyahu received a security briefing from the commanders about the IDF’s operations in Gaza. Along with Defense Minister Israel Katz, the prime minister held discussions with division, brigade, and battalion commanders, as well as met with active-duty soldiers and reservists.
“We insist that Hamas release our hostages, and we are determined to achieve all of our war objectives,” Netanyahu said in a statement. “We are doing this thanks to our heroic fighters. They are simply doing an incredible job.”
Amichai Stein and Eliav Breuer contributed to this report.