Hackers Claim Breach of Netanyahu Chief of Staff, Threaten to Release Sensitive Files

By Palestine Chronicle Staff

A hacking group known as “Handala” claims it accessed the phone of Netanyahu’s chief of staff and obtained sensitive data.

A hacking group calling itself Hanzala has claimed to have obtained sensitive personal and political information linked to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, stating that it plans to publish the materials in the coming days.

The group is the same one that recently claimed responsibility for breaching the Telegram account of former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.

In a statement released on Sunday, the hackers said the data was acquired after they infiltrated the mobile phone of Tzachi Braverman, Netanyahu’s chief of staff, whose appointment as Israel’s ambassador to the United Kingdom was recently approved by the government.

Posting on X, the group claimed it had accessed Braverman’s iPhone 16 Pro Max and now possesses encrypted conversations and materials allegedly relating to secret dealings, financial and ethical misconduct, abuse of authority, extortion, and bribery.

The hackers described Braverman, long viewed as a key gatekeeper and one of Netanyahu’s closest aides, as having become “the system’s biggest weakness,” naming the operation “The Fall of the Gatekeeper.”

In the first official response, the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation (KAN) quoted a source in the prime minister’s Office saying authorities were examining reports that Iranian-linked hackers may have breached the phone of Netanyahu’s chief of staff.

Earlier reports in Israeli media said hackers had also accessed Bennett’s phone, which reportedly contained contact information for senior security officials.

The Israeli daily Haaretz noted that while Bennett initially denied the breach, he later acknowledged that his Telegram account had been accessed, leading to the publication of contacts, photographs, and conversations—some of which he said were authentic and others fabricated.

Who is the “Hanzala” Group?

According to Haaretz, the group appears to take its name from Handala (Hanzala), the iconic Palestinian cartoon child symbol. The outlet describes the group as engaging in so-called “infiltration and leaking” operations, primarily aimed at publicizing information about prominent Israeli figures and institutions.

Since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza in October 2023, the group has released dozens of data dumps it claims were obtained through hacking operations. These have included alleged contact lists of right-wing media figures, as well as information related to Israeli soldiers, military facilities, and scientists.

The group, which identifies itself as the “Popular Resistance Front for the Rights of the Oppressed (Hanzala),” recently launched a website publishing names and personal details of scientists and high-tech specialists it alleges are cooperating with the Israeli army. According to Haaretz, the site also included what it described as a “reward” attached to those individuals.

Last June, the newspaper reported that the group released a database containing thousands of biographies of Israelis said to have served in sensitive military and security units.

The profiles reportedly included intelligence and cyber personnel, individuals linked to the Ministry of Defense and the Prime Minister’s Office, as well as Air Force veterans connected to drone operations, missile development, and air defense systems.

(PC, Al Mayadeen)