An Iranian-linked hacking collective said Sunday that it had gained access to the cellphone of Tzachi Braverman, chief of staff to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and warned that it would soon publish material it says connects him to the so-called Qatargate affair.
The group, which operates under the name Handala, asserted in an online post that it had penetrated an iPhone 16 Pro Max belonging to Braverman and planned to disclose details later in the day regarding his alleged role in the controversy that has shaken Netanyahu’s inner circle.
Handala had already claimed momentum last week, when it said it had successfully hacked the phone of former Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett.
Among the initial materials released by the hackers were files they say include contact information for senior officials and other figures close to Netanyahu, including his wife, Sara Netanyahu.
Additional content circulated by the group appeared relatively mundane, consisting of videos and official paperwork, including a document outlining emergency protocols established during the June conflict with Iran.
The hackers dubbed the effort “Bibi Gate,” a label seemingly intended to echo the wider scandal they claim to be exposing.
Responding to the allegations, the Prime Minister’s Office said there was no evidence of a successful intrusion. “No breach has been found. The issue is being investigated.”
In more inflammatory language, Handala asserted that it possesses extensive sensitive material. “We have everything: encrypted chats, hidden deals, shameful moral and financial indulgences, abuse of power, blackmail, payoffs. For years, you performed your little dance, thinking Handala was not among you. But we were in the room, every time,” the group claimed.
In a further message, the hackers warned that additional disclosures were imminent. “The files, the voices, the videos, every thread of Braverman’s double life, every secret that ties your regime to the heart of corruption, are about to surface,” Handala wrote.
{Matzav.com}
Calls for a more forceful state response to declining vaccination rates were voiced Sunday by senior figures in Israel’s healthcare system, who warned that persuasion alone is no longer working and that firmer action is required.
Professor Doron Netzer, Head of the Community Medicine Department at Clalit Health Services, said that public information campaigns have not delivered the needed results and that escalation is unavoidable. “If we don’t make it mandatory for the public to vaccinate, we won’t reach the necessary vaccination rate,” he said.
Similar concerns were raised by Dr. Eran Rotman, deputy CEO of Maccabi Health Services, who argued that the government must adopt steps that have so far been avoided. He framed the issue as one that goes beyond policy and enters the realm of values. “A parent who doesn’t vaccinate their children is endangering not only their own children but also those around them,” Rotman said.
The remarks were delivered at a conference organized by the Friends for Medicine organization, where health officials addressed what they described as a worrying drop in public compliance with vaccination guidelines.
Leumit Health Fund CEO Chaim Fernandes went a step further, urging consideration of financial consequences for those who refuse vaccines for themselves or their children. He suggested that benefits currently provided by the state could be reduced or withdrawn as a deterrent, including child allowances and tax credit points.
Fernandes explained that avoiding vaccination carries broader costs for society, saying, “When a person increases the risk of using the healthcare system and infecting others, it also has an economic implication.”
{Matzav.com}Israel marked a major technological milestone Sunday morning with a formal event at a Rafael facility, where the IDF officially accepted the “Or Eitan” laser interception system into its arsenal. The platform is the first operational laser-based air defense system anywhere in the world, using high-powered laser beams to counter airborne threats.
Speaking at the ceremony, Minister Yisroel Katz hailed the breakthrough, saying the achievement “changes the rules of the game and sends a clear message to all our enemies: do not test us-neither in nearby arenas nor in distant ones. Anyone who does will pay a heavy price.”
The system is the product of close collaboration between Rafael and the Ministry of Defense’s Directorate of Defense Research and Development. According to defense officials, it has already undergone an extensive testing program, during which it successfully intercepted rockets, mortar fire, and unmanned aerial vehicles.
Amir Baram, Director General of the Ministry of Defense, described the handover as a turning point for the project, noting that it represents the move from research and development into full-scale, serial production.
Once operationally deployed, “Or Eitan” is slated to become part of Israel’s layered air defense framework, augmenting existing systems such as Iron Dome, David’s Sling, and the Arrow missile defense array.
Air Force Commander Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar emphasized the strategic importance of the system, calling it a significant accomplishment and the result of years of sustained cooperation focused on strengthening Israel’s defensive capabilities.
An emotional moment came during the ceremony when Dov Oster, one of the system’s developers and the father of the late Capt. Eitan Oster—who was killed in action in southern Lebanon and for whom the system is named—recited Shehecheyanu.
Rafael Chairman Dr. Yuval Steinitz summed up the historic nature of the moment, stating, “Today, Israel becomes the first country in the world to field an operational laser defense system. This is a global scientific breakthrough made possible by Rafael’s unique adaptive optics technology.”
{Matzav.com}