Turkish hackers broke into the system of a popular cinema chain in Israel to spread a threatening message.
On January 23rd, hackers of Turkish origin screened a threatening message at Lev, a popular cinema chain in Tel Aviv. The message was poorly written in Hebrew and contained footage from the October 7th attacks led by the Hamas militant group.
"Stupid Jews, you are all terrorist killers," the hackers' message read. "You are cowards. You will take responsibility for the hundreds of innocent children who died in Gaza. We will not give you peace, even in your movie theaters, until your massacres are over. We will destroy you all. We will limit your access to the internet and banking services. God is with us."
To upload the message, the hackers broke into the external system responsible for updating advertising screens and trailers. The messages have since been taken down, and the circumstances of the incident are being investigated by the police. The threat actor MeshSec claims to be behind the cyberattack.
Since the breakout of full-scale war in Gaza, pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli hacktivism has been on the rise. Various groups have claimed attacks on both sides, with common targets including governmental and media websites and systems of critical infrastructure.
Following the October 7th assault by extremist militant group Hamas, which left 1200 civilians dead and 250 taken hostage, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) initiated a widespread attack on the Hamas-governed Gaza Strip.
Up to this day, the death toll of Palestinian civilians surpassed 26,000, including more than 8000 children. 1.9 million people have been internally displaced due to the activity of the Israeli military. Hamas still holds 132 Israeli hostages, while the Israeli military killed three hostages who they thought were Palestinians.
The UN described the situation in Gaza as “beyond catastrophic,” and a humanitarian crisis is mounting. According to Human Rights Watch, Israeli forces are deliberately blocking the delivery of water, food, and fuel while willfully impeding humanitarian assistance.
The UN has expressed concerns regarding the indiscriminate bombardment of civilian targets by the IDF and the collective punishment of Palestinians.
In January, South Africa sued Israel at The International Court of Justice (ICJ), the UN's highest court, for committing genocide against Palestinians. The interim court ruling is scheduled for today, January 26th. The provisional measures include a request for Israel to suspend its military operations in the Gaza Strip.
The current escalation results from an almost century-long conflict in the region. Israel has been blamed by Amnesty International for an Apartheid-style regime in the occupied Palestinian territories, stripping the residents of fundamental human rights.
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