Since the ghastly attack on Israel by Hamas, the terrorist organization has held hundreds of hostages in the Gaza Strip, including many Israelis and foreigners. A major development has now come to light, revealing that Israeli security forces are engaging with spyware firms, such as Pegasus maker NSO Group and Candiro, to track and potentially rescue these hostages. This revelation was reported by Bloomberg, citing sources familiar with the matter.
Israel, along with countries like Italy and the United States, is eager to bring back these hostages before entering into negotiations for a ceasefire in the ongoing conflict. In pursuit of this goal, Israeli security forces are calling upon firms like NSO Group and Candiro, both of which are blacklisted by the United States, to quickly enhance their spyware capabilities to fulfill the needs outlined by Israel’s security forces. Four cybersecurity industry sources confirmed these developments to Bloomberg, but they requested anonymity.
An Israeli government official also corroborated this news, indicating that the two blacklisted firms, along with several other software companies, are collaborating to meet Israel’s requests and are largely providing their services free of charge. So far, there has been no official confirmation from Israel’s Defense Ministry regarding these activities, and both the Israeli Defense Forces and NSO Group declined to comment.
Candiru, the other blacklisted firm, made a statement expressing its willingness to assist in any way needed for the war effort. This initiative highlights the severity of the hostage situation in Gaza. Hamas militants are holding more than 200 people captive in the region. The recent escalation of violence in Gaza has led to widespread support for a potential invasion. While some Western governments are pushing for negotiations, U.S. President Joe Biden urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to halt the ground offensive for the safety of the hostages.
Israel has been exploring various options to rescue the hostages since the beginning of the conflict. Diplomatic efforts involving Qatar and Egypt have been initiated, but they have not yielded the desired results. Israel is now considering alternative approaches to secure the release of the hostages, collaborating with other governments that can offer intelligence and expertise on extraction operations.
A significant number of the hostages possess foreign passports, including agricultural workers, tourists, and individuals with dual citizenship. While four hostages have been freed since the conflict began, the surprise attack by Hamas on October 7 resulted in the loss of more than 1,400 innocent lives, primarily civilians. This assault marked the deadliest-ever strike on Israel.
In response to this attack, Israel has conducted extensive air bombardments on Gaza, leading to casualties among the Palestinian population, as reported by the Health Ministry in the Hamas-run enclave. Israel’s preparations for a potential ground invasion of Gaza have raised concerns among Palestinians, who fear another episode of ethnic cleansing.
NSO Group, the maker of Pegasus spyware, has previously faced sanctions from the United States and other countries for assisting authoritarian regimes in tracking journalists and dissidents. The Pegasus software is sold to governments and law enforcement agencies, enabling them to hack mobile phones and covertly monitor emails, phone calls, and text messages.
In 2021, reports from organizations like Amnesty International, Citizen Lab, and Forensic Architecture documented the use of spyware in over 60 cases targeting government critics in various countries. These cases included Rwanda, Togo, Spain, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Morocco, and India. Furthermore, there were reports of the Indian government’s alleged use of Pegasus software. The U.S. Commerce Department blacklisted both NSO Group and Candiru that year, prohibiting them from receiving export contracts from American companies.
