Cyber Incident Victim: Israel Defense Forces
Date:
Oct 2014
Location:
Israel
Summary
Anonymous conducted a DDoS attack under #OpOrwahHammad, disrupting access to 43 Israeli government websites including the Israel Defense Forces, Prime Minister's Office, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The hacktivist group claimed the attack as retaliation for the fatal shooting of 14-year-old Palestinian-American Orwah Hammad by Israeli forces during a West Bank protest, condemning state violence against Palestinians. The operation mirrored previous Anonymous campaigns targeting Israeli infrastructure following military actions in Gaza.
| CIA Posture | Motives | Tactics, Techniques & Procedures |
|---|---|---|
| Available to members | 1 motive | 1 technique |
| Threat Actor | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 1 actor | Available to members | Available to members |
Description
On October 26, 2014, the hacktivist collective Anonymous launched a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) campaign targeting 43 Israeli government websites under the operation name #OpOrwahHammad. This cyber attack directly responded to the October 24 killing of 14-year-old Palestinian American Orwah Hammad by Israeli Defense Forces during a West Bank demonstration. Prominent affected entities included the Israel Defense Forces official website, the Office of the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Securities Authority, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the State of Israel Mail, and Israeli Immigration services. Anonymous publicly claimed responsibility through their official communication channels, including a message embedded on defaced sites stating the operation had "officially kicked off" in protest against Hammad's death and broader Palestinian casualties. The group warned the Israeli government to "beware" as "the world will not stand by such brutality," explicitly linking the attack to military actions in Gaza and the occupied territories.
The coordinated DDoS attacks temporarily disrupted critical government digital services, preventing public access to official portals during the incident timeframe. Anonymous framed the operation as retaliation for what they characterized as systemic violence, emphasizing Hammad's status as a U.S. citizen fatally shot with a live round that traversed his neck and head. This incident followed Anonymous' established pattern of targeting Israeli infrastructure during military conflicts, including prior operations like #OpSaveGaza which similarly disrupted government sites and leaked user data from Israeli platforms. No technical details regarding attack mitigation or official Israeli response were disclosed in available reporting, though the scale impacted multiple high-profile domains simultaneously. The hacktivists reiterated their intent to continue such actions during regional tensions, referencing previous successful disruptions of Israeli servers during earlier Gaza bombardments.