Hackers say they obtained at least 19,000 files from ex-Israeli army chief Halevi's phone
A hacking group aligned with Iran said it obtained at least 19,000 sensitive files after targeting the personal phone of former Israeli army Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi.
In a statement posted on its website on Thursday, the Handala Hack Team said it carried out a years-long operation against Halevi, gaining access to what it described as "more than 19,000 confidential images and videos from the most secret meetings".
"All your top-secret facilities, crisis rooms, maps, and even the tiniest details of your command centers have long been like an open book to us," the group said.
Marking what could be one of the most severe cyber incidents involving a senior figure in Israel's security establishment, the files, some of which were seen by Middle East Eye, showed Halevi meeting with Arab officials.
In one undated photo taken in Qatar, Halevi can be seen attending a meeting with former US Central Command (Centcom) chief Michael Kurilla, as a large framed photo of Qatar's emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, hangs on the wall.
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Halevi, who stepped down as the Israeli army chief of staff in March 2025, led Israeli forces in Gaza during the first 17 months of the genocidal war.
He became Israel's army chief in January 2023, while Kurilla served as the head of Centcom between April 2022 and August 2025.
Based on their respective tenures, the meeting likely took place between January 2023 and August 2025.
Another undated photo showed Halevi touring the Sheikh Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi, while the video showed him meeting Jordan's military chief, Yousef Huneiti.
In the video, which was apparently filmed in Jordan, Halevi could be seen presenting Huneiti with a dagger belonging to a Jordanian soldier who was killed in the Six-Day War in 1967.
Several photos of the former army chief's family life were also published by the group, along with the ID cards of Halevi and his wife.
The group also published what it described as embarrassing personal details, including a video showing Halevi hiding under a piano as a woman enters his living room.
According to the group, the other material it gained access to, but has not yet released, includes visual documentation of secret meetings, strategic maps and the names and faces of senior commanders.
"Every face, every commander, and every criminal pilot, clear and unblurred, are in our hands and will be revealed one by one when the time is right," it said.
The Handala Hack Team has previously claimed responsibility for cyberattacks targeting senior Israeli officials, including former Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked and a senior aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Last year, the group said it hacked a phone used by former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and published hundreds of his chat messages, as well as a 141-page contact list that included several world leaders.
Bennett said his Telegram account had been hacked and contents from his contact list, photos and chats "both authentic and forged" were released.
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