A group of Iranian hackers claimed Sunday that it had hacked the cellphone of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s chief of staff, Tzachi Braverman, and threatened to release material allegedly tying him to the explosive Qatargate affair that has already shaken the Prime Minister’s Office.

In a series of posts on X, the Handala hack group said it had penetrated an iPhone 16 Pro Max belonging to Braverman and would publish details later in the day of what it described as his involvement in the scandal. The group dubbed the operation “Bibi Gate,” an apparent attempt to link Netanyahu personally to the affair.

The first files released by the hackers purported to include phone numbers of senior officials and figures in Netanyahu’s inner circle, including the prime minister’s wife, Sara Netanyahu. Additional material included what appeared to be routine videos and official documents, among them a file outlining emergency procedures during Israel’s June war with Iran.

The Prime Minister’s Office dismissed the claims, telling The Times of Israel, “No breach has been found. The issue is being investigated.”

Handala, however, issued sweeping threats, claiming deep access to Braverman’s communications. “We have everything: encrypted chats, hidden deals, shameful moral and financial indulgences, abuse of power, blackmail, payoffs,” the group wrote. “For years, you performed your little dance, thinking Handala was not among you. But we were in the room, every time.”

“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,” the statement continued.

The hacking claim comes amid the ongoing Qatargate investigation, in which two advisers to Netanyahu are suspected of having worked on behalf of Qatar while employed in the Prime Minister’s Office. According to investigators, the advisers were linked to Perception PR, a firm headed by Yisrael Einhorn, Netanyahu’s former campaign manager.

In a separate but related scandal, one of those advisers, Eli Feldstein, has admitted to leaking classified information to the German newspaper Bild. Prosecutors allege the leak was part of a scheme to shape public opinion and reduce international pressure on Israel to reach a deal with Hamas for the release of hostages held in Gaza.

In a lengthy interview last week, Feldstein claimed Braverman learned months in advance about a secret IDF investigation into the Bild leak and reassured him privately that the probe — and a related investigation into information security — could be stopped if necessary. Feldstein also alleged that Netanyahu himself was behind the leak, a claim the prime minister denies.

Both Braverman and Netanyahu have rejected all allegations of wrongdoing. Braverman is slated to become Israel’s next ambassador to the United Kingdom.

Handala’s latest announcement follows its claim last week that it had hacked the phone of former prime minister Naftali Bennett. Earlier this month, images, contact lists and documents allegedly taken from Bennett’s phone were published on a website linked to the group, along with a download purported to contain his phone contacts.

Bennett said his phone itself was not hacked but acknowledged unauthorized access to his Telegram account. The published material included family photos, images from public events and scans of official correspondence the group claimed he had sent and received.

Bennett, who served as prime minister from June 2021 to June 2022, is widely viewed as Netanyahu’s most credible challenger ahead of next year’s election.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)