Israel hacked Gaza residents’ phones to beam Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s UN speech

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Israel has claimed that it hijacked phones in Gaza to broadcast Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech live from the United Nations, in what it called a message directly to civilians and Hamas members.

In a post on X on Thursday, Netanyahu's office said: "The Prime Minister's words are now being broadcast into every phone in Gaza. The residents have a choice: peace and life through disarmament and the return of the hostages, or to continue under Hamas and be hunted."

Netanyahu, speaking at the UN headquarters in New York, declared that the war in Gaza could end immediately if hostages are returned, Hamas disarmed, and the territory demilitarised. 

The phone hack claim, all the same, has not been independently verified. Reporters with the Associated Press in Gaza said they found no evidence of Netanyahu's speech being broadcast on phones, while several residents denied receiving any such transmission.

Experts say that if the claim were true, possible methods could include the Cell Broadcast Service, which is typically used worldwide for emergency alerts to all phones in a given area, or advanced spyware such as Pegasus, developed by Israel's NSO Group.

Both methods, however, are generally limited to alerts or targeted hacks rather than mass live-streaming of speeches.

The announcement comes amid Israel's ongoing assault on Gaza, which has killed more than 41,000 Palestinians since Hamas' October 7, 2023, attack, according to health officials in the enclave. 

Israel has been accused at the International Court of Justice of committing genocide in Gaza, charges Netanyahu and his government deny.

Rights groups have warned that Israel's military campaign — which has destroyed large swaths of Gaza, displaced millions, and cut off food, water and electricity — has gone beyond legitimate defence.