Two months ago, when a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas seemed close, a new obstacle arose: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his troops must hold the Gaza-Egypt border to prevent Hamas from rearming and smuggling out Israeli hostages.

Many in Israel’s security establishment dismissed the demand and accused Netanyahu of avoiding a deal to keep the war going.

Yet within days, two journals — Germany’s Bild and London’s Jewish Chronicle — published articles based on documents that supported Netanyahu’s point and suggested that Hamas was obstructing a deal.