The agency’s current deputy director, known only as M, has emerged as a leading candidate, after Netanyahu appointed him to the hostage negotiation team, effectively sidelining Bar.

Born into a religious kibbutz, M began his Shin Bet career in 1994 as a security guard. He quickly rose through the ranks, serving as a field coordinator in the Hebron region during the early stages of the Second Intifada. His career progression included various operational roles throughout Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and he ultimately reached the position of regional director—a rank equivalent to major general in the military. His leadership experience extends to heading a division within the Shin Bet’s Operations Department.

While M appears to have earned the prime minister’s trust, as deputy director of the agency in the lead-up to the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas massacre, he bears partial responsibility for what has widely been considered Israel’s worst intelligence failure in decades.

However, amid the war sparked by the terrorist attack, both Bar and Netanyahu requested that M extend his service until early 2025. Although his official term had already concluded and retirement proceedings had begun, M was asked to join the hostage negotiation team, a move that signaled his continued value to the administration despite the Oct. 7 failures.