Hananya Naftali Explained

Hananya Naftali
Native Name Lang:he
Nationality:Israeli Russian
Birth Date:7 July 1995
Birth Place:Safed, Israel
Occupation:Journalist,[1] YouTuber, military personnel
Years Active:2014–present
Spouse:India Naftali[2]
Module:
Channel Direct Url:@HananyaNaftali
Channel Display Name:Hananya Naftali
Subscribers:475K
Views:122 Million
Genre:Jewish history, World War II, Holocaust, Wartime Journalism
Years Active:2012-present
Stats Update:18 Nov, 2024
Silver Button:yes
Module2:
Embed:yes
Battles:
Serviceyears:2023-present

Hananya Naftali (he|חנניה נפתלי; born 7 July 1995) is an Israeli journalist and YouTuber and military personnel.[3] [4] [5] He serves as a digital aide to the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.[6]

Early life

Naftali was born in Safed in 1995 and grew up in the West Bank. He graduated from Kadoorie Agricultural High School.[7] [8]

Acts of journalism

In 2017, after gaining around 200,000 followers on Facebook, Naftali was able to interview the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.[9] A few months later, he began to serve as Netanyahu's deputy social media adviser.[9] He also worked as a freelancer for the Likud party.[10]

Military life

Hananaya announced on X that he was drafted into the army to fight against Hamas in 2023 Israel–Hamas war.

On 17 October 2023, in response to the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital explosion, he posted a tweet: "Israeli Air Force struck a Hamas terrorist base inside a hospital in Gaza." He later deleted this tweet,[11] after the Israeli government claimed a misfired Palestinian rocket was responsible for the explosion.[12] There was controversy when it wasn't clear whether Naftali was actually authorised to speak on behalf of the Israeli government, or was in fact employed by the Likud party.

Personal life

Naftali was born to Jewish parents born in the Soviet Union. While he considers himself a follower of Jesus, he identifies with Messianic Judaism. He said: "I am Jewish, but I follow the teachings of the New Testament as well. It is not my job to tell people what they should believe in...".[13] [9] [14] [15] [16] He has been accused of having proselytized during his army service, which he denies.[7]

Naftali is married to India Naftali, an Israeli journalist.[17]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 'Goodbye to my wife India': Israeli journalist 'who talks peace' called up to fight for nation amid war . 9 October 2023 .
  2. Web site: 'Goodbye To My Wife': Israeli Journalist Called Up To Fight For Country . ndtv.com . NDTV . 12 January 2024.
  3. Web site: 2023-10-09 . 'Goodbye to my wife India': Israeli journalist 'who talks peace' called up to fight for nation amid war . 2024-06-05 . WION . en-us.
  4. Web site: 2023-10-09 . Israeli influencer, called up by military, says 'goodbye to wife India'. See post . 2024-06-05 . India Today . en.
  5. Web site: 2023-10-10 . Israeli journalist bids goodbye to wife as he is drafted into army reserve duty to defend country . 2024-06-05 . The Indian Express . en.
  6. Web site: How has the narrative shifted since the Gaza hospital explosion? [Initial posts on X sent by Hananya Naftali, a digital aide to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu...] ]. 2024-06-05 . Al Jazeera . en.
  7. Web site: Kumar . Avi . The rise of Hananya Naftali, social media star and pro-Israel influencer . jns.org . Jewish News Syndicate . 12 January 2024.
  8. Web site: Emily . Emily . All About Spokesperson Hananya Naftali Deleted Tweets and Social Media . iitnotablealumni.com . 19 October 2023 . IIT Notable Alumni . 12 January 2024 . 12 January 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240112175125/https://iitnotablealumni.com/spokesperson-hananya-naftali-deleted-tweets/#google_vignette . dead .
  9. https://www.hetek.hu/cikkek/english-news/1998januar/we-are-sick-and-tired-leaders-are-great-talk-and-weak-action HANANYA NAFTALI, JEWISH BELIEVER IN JESUS, ADVISOR TO NETANYAHU, ABOUT FAITH, ELECTIONS, AND THE ISRAELI-HUNGARIAN RELATIONS
  10. Web site: Harkov . Lahav . The error-prone Israeli government spokesman who wasn't . Jewish Insider. 23 October 2023 . 12 January 2024.
  11. Web site: What is Israel's narrative on the Gaza hospital explosion? . aljazeera.com . 12 January 2024.
  12. Stancati . Margherita . Trofimov . Yaroslav . 18 October 2023 . U.S., Experts Say Evidence Suggests Palestinian Militants' Rocket Hit Gaza Hospital . .
  13. News: Avi . Kumar . 2 December 2022 . The rise of Hananya Naftali, social media star and pro-Israel influencer [I am Jewish, but I follow the teachings of the New Testament as well. It is not my job to tell people what they should believe in...] ]. JNS.
  14. News: From praising Jesus to tweeting Bibi, PM's new recruit has colorful past. Gil. Hoffman. The Jerusalem Post. April 24, 2018. February 12, 2024.
  15. News: Netanyahu Hires an Israeli Jew Who Believes in Jesus. April 25, 2018. Israel Today. https://web.archive.org/web/20190811100153/https://www.israeltoday.co.il/read/netanyahu-hires-an-israeli-jew-who-believes-in-jesus/. August 11, 2019.
  16. News: A Christian in the IDF? What's That Like?. Israel Today. February 24, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20210925143920/https://www.israeltoday.co.il/read/a-christian-in-the-idf-whats-that-like/. September 25, 2021.
  17. Web site: "Goodbye To My Wife": Israeli Journalist Called Up To Fight For Country . 2024-06-05 . NDTV.com.

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