Considered Terrorist, Israel Hacks Palestinian NGO Phone Using Pegasus Spyware

Illustration of NSO hacking a Palestinian NGO that is considered a terrorist. (Wikimedia Commons/Chris Roberts)

JAKARTA - Israel has reportedly hacked the phone of a Palestinian NGO that is considered a terrorist using the Pegasus spyware. The earliest detected hack was reported to have occurred in July 2020, while the most recent intrusion occurred in April 2021.

The phones of six members of a Palestinian human rights non-governmental organization were hacked with Pegasus, military-grade spyware developed by Israeli company NSO, an Irish human rights group, Front Line Defenders, revealed on Monday.

In its report the group said the hacked NGOs included Addameer; Al-Haq; Defense for Children – Palestine; Agricultural Trade Union Committee; Bisan Research and Development Center and Palestinian Women's Unity Committee.

Citing Sputnik News November 9, all of these groups were designated as 'terrorist organizations' by Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz on October 19, 2021. The Front Line Defenders suggested such a designation could have been coined, to be used as a pretext for hacking phones belonging to NGO members.

The report said the earliest detected intrusions occurred in July 2020 and continued through April 2021. In total, 75 cellphones used by pro-Palestinian activists were hacked, the group concluded. This information was confirmed by Amnesty International's Security Lab and Citizens Lab, as both groups have experience identifying and uncovering cases where Pegasus was used.

This isn't the first time the Pegasus spyware has made headlines. Earlier this year, the US Government cited evidence that NSO had provided its software to "foreign governments" who used it to "target government officials, journalists, businesspeople, artists, activists, academics, and embassy workers."

A large-scale media investigation revealed in July that French President Emmanuel Macron's cell phone was among 50,000 other possible targets of the Pegasus spyware.

The Company denies the allegations, stressing that it always makes every effort to prevent its spyware from being misused.