Israel seeks to revoke citizenship of two men convicted in Hamas cyber plot

Israel's prosecution has filed a precedent-setting request to revoke the citizenship of two security prisoners convicted of plotting to aid Hamas in disabling the communications infrastructure of the mobile operator Cellcom during a future war. The request against Rani Awf and Shadi Aidi was submitted to the Central District Court, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's approval and the attorney-general's consent.

This move is significant as it is the first time the state has sought to revoke citizenship through a special procedure added to the Citizenship Law in 2011. This law allows a court that convicts someone of terrorism or serious security offenses to revoke their citizenship, in addition to imposing a criminal sentence, if the interior minister requests it and the attorney-general approves. Previously, such a case would have required a separate administrative court proceeding.

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The offenses of which the defendants were convicted justify revoking their citizenship.

According to the prosecution, Awf and Aidi, who worked at Cellcom and had extensive access to its systems, passed sensitive information about Israeli communications infrastructure and cybersecurity to senior Hamas officials. They also planned to install tools to disrupt Cellcom's network, which serves both civilians and security forces. The state argued that their offenses justify revoking their citizenship, calling their actions an "extreme and exceptional" violation of basic loyalty owed to the country.

Awf and Aidi were convicted based on their confessions of conspiring to assist an enemy during wartime and providing information to an enemy to harm state security. Awf also faced charges of disclosing an intention to commit treason and maintaining contact with a foreign agent. Awf received an 11-year prison sentence, a suspended sentence, and a fine, while Aidi was sentenced to five-and-a-half years in prison and a suspended sentence.

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extreme and exceptional