Former prime minister advises Israelis to catch Hamas fighters posing as the IDF by asking them about Israel's Eurovision entry

Joshua Zitser
·2 min read
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  • Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Hamas militants are posing as IDF soldiers.

  • In a WhatsApp voice message, he gave advice on how to avoid being tricked.

  • He said Israelis should ask a code question: who represented Israel at the Eurovision Song Contest.

Israel's former prime minister, Naftali Bennett, gave an unconventional piece of advice to help Israelis scared of being tricked by Hamas militants posing as Israel Defense Force soldiers.

In a WhatsApp voice message sent to Channel 12 News Israel, an Israeli broadcaster, Bennett said: "If the 'IDF' knocks on your door, it could be terrorists, so don't open it right away."

He advised people to ask which unit the soldiers are from, and to consider asking a "code" question.

The code question, he said, is "who represented Israel in the Eurovision."

Bennett added: "The terrorists will not know."

Bennett, who was seen showing up for military reserve duty after Hamas launched its surprise attack on Israel over the weekend, was prime minister of Israel until June last year.

Noa Kirel, an Israeli pop star, represented the country in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023. Her song, "Unicorn," topped Israeli music charts.

Dozens of people are believed to have been captured by Hamas in Israel.

The exact number of hostages is unclear, but the Israel Defense Forces said on Saturday that is it "unfortunately, a significant number."

The IDF's international spokesperson, Richard Hecht, said "civilians, children and grandmothers" were among the hostages, according to local media.

Photos from AP show several hostages being taken to the Gaza Strip, including an elderly woman in a golf buggy surrounded by armed Hamas militants.

Some are believed to have been taken captive at the Nova music festival in southern Israel, with footage appearing to show a festivalgoer being kidnapped.

According to the IDF, Hamas militants also went to towns on the border of Gaza and took hostages.

Residents told Channel 12 News that Hamas militants were going door to door in Kibbutz Be'eri, a border community, trying to break into Israeli homes and kidnap people.

In other nearby kibbutz communities, residents described locking themselves in bomb shelters and safe rooms to avoid being taken captive amid the surprise attack on Israel on Saturday.

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