Cyberattacks target 15 Israeli websites

JERUSALEM

Fifteen Israeli websites came under cyberattacks on Tuesday, according to local media.

The attacks targeted the websites of public broadcaster KAN, banks, telecommunications companies and government agencies, Maariv newspaper reported.

A hacker group that goes by “Anonymous Sudan” claimed responsibility for taking down the websites.

Tuesday’s cyberattacks came one day after the same hacker group claimed to have taken down the websites of Israel’s intelligence service Mossad and the National Insurance Institute.

The cyberattacks came as Israel commemorates its national day, which marks the country's creation on the rubble of Palestine in 1948. This day is called by the Palestinians as "Nakba", or Catastrophe.

Israeli websites come under cyberattack from time to time as acts of solidarity with Palestinians amid rising tensions across the occupied West Bank.

More than 100 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the start of this year, according to Palestinian figures. Sixteen Israelis have also been killed in separate attacks during the same period.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi