Hananya Naftali
Hananya Naftali | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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חנניה נפתלי | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 7 July 1995 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | Israeli | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation(s) | Journalist,[1]YouTuber, Military personnel | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years active | 2014–present | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | India Naftali[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Military career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Allegiance |  Israel | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years of service | 2023-present | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Battles / wars | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | hnaftali | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hananya Naftali (Hebrew: חנניה נפתלי; born 7 July 1995) is an Israeli journalist and YouTuber and military personnel.[4][5][6] He serves as a digital aide to the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.[7]
Early life
[edit]Naftali was born in Safed in 1995 and grew up in the West Bank. He graduated from Kadoorie Agricultural High School.[8][9]
Acts of journalism
[edit]In 2017, after gaining around 200,000 followers on Facebook, Naftali was able to interview the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.[10] A few months later, he began to serve as Netanyahu's deputy social media adviser.[10] He also worked as a freelancer for the Likud party.[8][11]
Military life
[edit]Hananaya announced on X that he was drafted into the army to fight against Hamas in 2023 Israel–Hamas war.[2]
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,[12] after the Israeli government claimed a misfired Palestinian rocket was responsible for the explosion.[13] 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.[11]
Personal life
[edit]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...".[14] [10][15][16][17] He has been accused of having proselytized during his army service, which he denies.[8][15][11]
Naftali is married to India Naftali, an Israeli journalist.[18]
References
[edit]- ^ "'Goodbye to my wife India': Israeli journalist 'who talks peace' called up to fight for nation amid war". 9 October 2023.
- ^ a b "'Goodbye To My Wife': Israeli Journalist Called Up To Fight For Country". ndtv.com. NDTV. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
- ^ a b "About Hananya Naftali". YouTube.
- ^ "'Goodbye to my wife India': Israeli journalist 'who talks peace' called up to fight for nation amid war". WION. 2023-10-09. Retrieved 2024-06-05.
- ^ "Israeli influencer, called up by military, says 'goodbye to wife India'. See post". India Today. 2023-10-09. Retrieved 2024-06-05.
- ^ "Israeli journalist bids goodbye to wife as he is drafted into army reserve duty to defend country". The Indian Express. 2023-10-10. Retrieved 2024-06-05.
- ^ "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...]". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2024-06-05.
- ^ a b c Kumar, Avi. "The rise of Hananya Naftali, social media star and pro-Israel influencer". jns.org. Jewish News Syndicate. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
- ^ Emily, Emily (19 October 2023). "All About Spokesperson Hananya Naftali Deleted Tweets and Social Media". iitnotablealumni.com. IIT Notable Alumni. Archived from the original on 12 January 2024. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
- ^ a b c HANANYA NAFTALI, JEWISH BELIEVER IN JESUS, ADVISOR TO NETANYAHU, ABOUT FAITH, ELECTIONS, AND THE ISRAELI-HUNGARIAN RELATIONS. Hetek.hu
- ^ a b c Harkov, Lahav (23 October 2023). "The error-prone Israeli government spokesman who wasn't". Jewish Insider. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
- ^ "What is Israel's narrative on the Gaza hospital explosion?". aljazeera.com. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
- ^ Stancati, Margherita; Trofimov, Yaroslav (18 October 2023). "U.S., Experts Say Evidence Suggests Palestinian Militants' Rocket Hit Gaza Hospital". The Wall Street Journal.
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b Hoffman, Gil (April 24, 2018). "From praising Jesus to tweeting Bibi, PM's new recruit has colorful past". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
- ^ "Netanyahu Hires an Israeli Jew Who Believes in Jesus". Israel Today. April 25, 2018. Archived from the original on August 11, 2019.
- ^ "A Christian in the IDF? What's That Like?". Israel Today. February 24, 2016. Archived from the original on September 25, 2021.
- ^ ""Goodbye To My Wife": Israeli Journalist Called Up To Fight For Country". NDTV.com. Retrieved 2024-06-05.