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Hananya Naftali

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Hananya Naftali
חנניה נפתלי‎
Born (1995-07-07) 7 July 1995 (age 29)
Safed, Israel
NationalityIsraeli Russian
Occupation(s)Journalist,[1] YouTuber, military personnel
Years active2014–present
SpouseIndia Naftali[2]
Hananya Naftali
YouTube information
Channel
Years active2012-present
Genre(s)Jewish history, World War II, Holocaust, Wartime Journalism
Subscribers485K[3]
Total views123 Million[3]
100,000 subscribers
Last updated: 9 Jan, 2025
Military career
Allegiance Israel
Years of service2023-present
Battles / wars
Websitehnaftali.com

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

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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

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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 and controversies

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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]

Naftali claims Mount Hermon, which Israel illegally occupies, to be a part of Israel proper.[14]

Personal life

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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...".[15] [10][16][17][18] He has been accused of having proselytized during his army service, which he denies.[8][16][11]

Naftali is married to India Naftali, an Israeli journalist of Iranian descent.[19]

References

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  1. ^ "'Goodbye to my wife India': Israeli journalist 'who talks peace' called up to fight for nation amid war". 9 October 2023.
  2. ^ a b "'Goodbye To My Wife': Israeli Journalist Called Up To Fight For Country". ndtv.com. NDTV. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  3. ^ a b "About Hananya Naftali". YouTube.
  4. ^ "'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.
  5. ^ "Israeli influencer, called up by military, says 'goodbye to wife India'. See post". India Today. 2023-10-09. Retrieved 2024-06-05.
  6. ^ "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.
  7. ^ "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.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ a b c HANANYA NAFTALI, JEWISH BELIEVER IN JESUS, ADVISOR TO NETANYAHU, ABOUT FAITH, ELECTIONS, AND THE ISRAELI-HUNGARIAN RELATIONS. Hetek.hu
  11. ^ a b c Harkov, Lahav (23 October 2023). "The error-prone Israeli government spokesman who wasn't". Jewish Insider. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  12. ^ "What is Israel's narrative on the Gaza hospital explosion?". aljazeera.com. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  13. ^ Stancati, Margherita; Trofimov, Yaroslav (18 October 2023). "U.S., Experts Say Evidence Suggests Palestinian Militants' Rocket Hit Gaza Hospital". The Wall Street Journal.
  14. ^ https://x.com/HananyaNaftali/status/1874456204350492919
  15. ^ 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.
  16. ^ 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.
  17. ^ "Netanyahu Hires an Israeli Jew Who Believes in Jesus". Israel Today. April 25, 2018. Archived from the original on August 11, 2019.
  18. ^ "A Christian in the IDF? What's That Like?". Israel Today. February 24, 2016. Archived from the original on September 25, 2021.
  19. ^ ""Goodbye To My Wife": Israeli Journalist Called Up To Fight For Country". NDTV.com. Retrieved 2024-06-05.
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