Former Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett's mobile phone hacked

The hacker group "Handala" today issued a statement announcing that it had infiltrated the personal mobile phone of Naftali Bennett, the former prime minister of Israel, under "Operation Octopus." The group described the operation as a successful cyber action with both technical and psychological dimensions, calling the information security of senior Israeli officials "fragile."

According to the statement, the hacked phone was an iPhone 13, and a significant volume of information was extracted from it.

The released data includes a list of confidential contacts with high-ranking officials, internal correspondence, sensitive documents, personal photos, and drafts of official letters dated July 2025. Additionally, political messages and notes referring to internal disagreements and criticisms within the government are among the leaked documents.

Notably, Israel's Minister of National Security is described in these documents as a "political risk to the ruling coalition."

These documents also address topics such as policies regarding security prisoners, economic measures against Hamas, and proposals concerning areas under the management of the Palestinian Authority, mentioning the names of several senior ministers in this context.

In response to this disclosure, Naftali Bennett's office stated that relevant security agencies are investigating the matter, but no official confirmation or denial regarding the content of the documents has been provided yet. Some Israeli media outlets have claimed that Iranian intelligence agencies were involved in this attack.

Naftali Bennett, who served as Israel's prime minister from 2021 to 2022, stepped down from power after the formation of a new government.