US EditionThe 'Emoji Code' – The Encrypted Language Hamas Used on Oct. 7
- On October 7, 2023 the IDF Military Intelligence Directorate revealed Hamas used emoji-laden WhatsApp messages as a coded signal to launch the invasion, discovered weeks later while analyzing thousands of captured phones and cleared for publication by military censors.
- Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades relied on innocuous emoji patterns with preset meanings to direct operatives and signal the Nukhba force to use Israeli SIM cards.
- At 9 p.m. on October 6, 2026, dozens of SIM cards were activated in Gaza amid rising cellular traffic, with officials discussing this until 11:30 p.m. and requesting increased surveillance overnight.
- Unit 8200 had shut down listening and monitoring capabilities well before the war, no alert was raised, and Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant were not awakened despite attackers preparing at border breach points.
- Technical limits like WhatsApp encryption hindered real-time detection, as the Shin Bet identified unusual activity and updated the Military Intelligence Directorate, which notified Southern Command; MID later termed this oversight 'intelligence without content.
17 Articles
17 Articles
Hamas fighters, upon receiving the emoji messages, began to gather en masse at predetermined locations and arm themselves.
Hamas ‘used emojis’ to signal start of the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel
The militant Palestinian organisation Hamas used emojis to signal to its fighters the start of the attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, the Israeli TV channel N12 reported on Monday. It cited the Israeli army as its source but a military spokeswoman was initially unable to officially confirm the story. According to the report, the emojis were found on mobile phones belonging to members of Hamas’ elite Nukhba Forces unit, which were seized by the…
Sueddeutsche Zeitung
Hamas fighters have been mobilized for the brutal attack on Israel, according to media reports about simple mobile phone symbols. The Israeli army has not yet confirmed the reports.
The 'Emoji Code' – The Encrypted Language Hamas Used on Oct. 7
JERUSALEM (Israel Hayom) – Hamas terrorists used emojis they sent via WhatsApp to communicate with each other in encrypted form during the night between October 6 and 7, 2023. The emojis – primarily hearts and stars – were designed to signal to the terrorists that the time had come to launch the attack on the […]
Hamas used emojis to launch October 7 invasion
Emoji-filled WhatsApp messages were used by Hamas as a coded signal to launch the invasion of Israel on October 7, 2023. By World Israel News Hamas launched the October 7, 2023 invasion of Israel using emoji-laden messages on WhatsApp, with certain emojis serving as codes to signal the beginning of the attack, multiple Israeli media outlets reported on Monday. This practice was identified by Israeli intelligence only in the wake of the October 7…
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