Israel Seeks to Strip Citizenship from Two Security Prisoners Who Planned to Disable Cellcom Network

The Israeli government has filed a precedent-setting request to revoke the citizenship of two security prisoners convicted of aiding Hamas by planning to disable the Cellcom cellular network during wartime. The petition was submitted on July 22, 2026, to the Central District Court following approval by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who also serves as Interior Minister, and the Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara.

Rani Of and Shadi Aidi, residents of northern Israel and former Cellcom employees with extensive access to the company’s IT infrastructure, conspired to shut down critical communication systems to assist Hamas. Of maintained ongoing contact with senior Hamas operatives in Turkey and, with Aidi’s help, transmitted sensitive information about Israeli communication infrastructure and security bypass methods.

In 2024, Of was sentenced to 11 years in prison for conspiracy to assist the enemy, treason, and contact with a foreign agent, while Aidi received a 5.5-year sentence. The state’s petition, filed by attorneys Uri Kedar, Liran Pe’er, and Shiri Rom, describes their actions as an "extreme breach of loyalty" warranting citizenship revocation under the Citizenship Law’s criminal track.

The government emphasized the nationalistic and ideological motives behind the plot and highlighted the severe potential damage of the planned cyberattack, especially given its timing during a military operation. This marks the first time citizenship revocation has been pursued through criminal proceedings for breach of loyalty in Israel.

Summary: Israel has requested to revoke the citizenship of two convicted prisoners who planned to disable the Cellcom network to aid Hamas during wartime, marking a first in criminal citizenship revocation cases.

Points: - Israel seeks to revoke citizenship of two prisoners convicted of aiding Hamas by targeting Cellcom. - Rani Of and Shadi Aidi planned to disable Israel’s cellular network during wartime. - Of sentenced to 11 years, Aidi to 5.5 years for conspiracy and treason. - The request is the first criminal citizenship revocation under Israeli law. - The state calls their actions an extreme breach of loyalty to Israel. - The plot involved sharing sensitive infrastructure information with Hamas operatives abroad.

Topic: security israel_relevant: true Entities: {"people":["Rani Of","Shadi Aidi","Benjamin Netanyahu","Gali Baharav-Miara","Uri Kedar","Liran Pe’er","Shiri Rom"],"organizations":["Hamas","Cellcom","Israeli government","Central District Court"],"places":["Israel","Turkey","northern Israel"]}