Hananya Naftali

Hananya Naftali
חנניה נפתלי‎
Born (1995-07-07) 7 July 1995
Safed, Israel
NationalityIsraeli
Occupation(s)Journalist,[1] YouTuber, military personnel
Years active2014–present
SpouseIndia Naftali[2]
Military career
Allegiance Israel
Years of service2023-present
Battles / wars
Websitehnaftali.com
Hananya Naftali
YouTube information
Channel
Years active2012-present
Genre(s)Jewish history, World War II, Holocaust, Wartime Journalism
Subscribers576K[3]
Views133 million[3]
100,000 subscribers
Last updated: 30 June 2025

Hananya Naftali (Hebrew: חנניה נפתלי; born 7 July 1995) is an Israeli journalist and YouTuber.[4][5][6] He serves as a digital aide to Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.[7]

Acts of journalism

In 2017, after gaining around 200,000 followers on Facebook, Naftali was able to interview the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.[8] A few months later, he began to serve as Netanyahu's deputy social media adviser.[8] He also worked as a freelancer for the Likud party.[9][10]

Hananaya announced on X that he was drafted into the army to fight against Hamas in Gaza 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,[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.[10]

Early and personal life

Naftali has mentioned that he can speak basic Russian. He has on several occasions spoken at events organized by the Norwegian microparty Conservative.[13] which has been criticized for being pro-Kremlin and for promoting Russian propaganda.[14]

Hananya Naftali was born in Safed in 1995 and grew up in the West Bank. He graduated from Kadoorie Agricultural High School.[15][16]

Naftali was born to Jewish parents originally from the former Soviet Union. His parents grew up in Russia and were later relocated to Budapest, Hungary, and eventually to Tel Aviv, Israel, with assistance from the Jewish Agency for Israel. He identifies as a follower of Jesus and with Messianic Judaism, a movement that combines Jewish tradition with belief in Jesus as the Messiah. In an interview, he stated: "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."[17][8][18][19][20] He has been accused of having proselytized during his army service, which he denies.[9][18][10]

Naftali is married to India Naftali, an Israeli journalist of Iranian descent.[21]

References

  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 "„We are tired of leaders that are great with talk, and weak with action"". www.hetek.hu. Retrieved 2025-06-24.
  9. ^ a b Kumar, Avi (8 December 2022). "The rise of Hananya Naftali, social media star and pro-Israel influencer". jns.org. Jewish News Syndicate. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  10. ^ a b c Harkov, Lahav (23 October 2023). "The error-prone Israeli government spokesman who wasn't". Jewish Insider. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  11. ^ "What is Israel's narrative on the Gaza hospital explosion?". aljazeera.com. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  12. ^ Stancati, Margherita; Trofimov, Yaroslav (18 October 2023). "U.S., Experts Say Evidence Suggests Palestinian Militants' Rocket Hit Gaza Hospital". The Wall Street Journal.
  13. ^ {https://konservativt.no/konservativt-forum-2025/}
  14. ^ "Er norske kristnes sverming for Donald Trump farlig? Det kan den bli". www.aftenposten.no (in Norwegian Bokmål). 2025-03-06. Retrieved 2025-06-24.
  15. ^ Kumar, Avi (8 December 2022). "The rise of Hananya Naftali, social media star and pro-Israel influencer". jns.org. Jewish News Syndicate. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  16. ^ 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.
  17. ^ Kumar, Avi (2022-12-08). "The rise of Hananya Naftali, social media star and pro-Israel influencer". JNS.org. Retrieved 2025-06-24.
  18. ^ 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.
  19. ^ "Netanyahu Hires an Israeli Jew Who Believes in Jesus". Israel Today. April 25, 2018. Archived from the original on August 11, 2019.
  20. ^ "A Christian in the IDF? What's That Like?". Israel Today. February 24, 2016. Archived from the original on September 25, 2021.
  21. ^ ""Goodbye To My Wife": Israeli Journalist Called Up To Fight For Country". NDTV.com. Retrieved 2024-06-05.
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