Keren Or site after being hacked
Photo: YouTube
Israeli special needs kids face rockets, and even a cyber attack
Pro-Hamas hackers take over website for visually impaired young people with other disabilities, upload images of wounded children, jihadist songs.
For the staff and patrons of Keren Or, Israel's sole organization for blind children with additional special needs, the fighting in Gaza posed not only the challenge of coping with rocket fire by Palestinian terror groups, but also saw them the target of a cyber attack on their website.
During Operation Protective Edge, pro-Hamas hackers took over the Keren Or website as it was under construction, the organization said. The hackers posted images of war, including a picture of a wounded child that appeared to have been taken from Syria. They also uploaded jihadist slogans and songs.
"It was a tremendous challenge for the professional staff to deal with the Hamas campaign and its effect on our special needs children who were under the constant threat of rocket fire," says the organization. "However, no one expected the Keren Or children to be a target of Hamas's propaganda war."
Keren Or says it is proud of the way in which it dealt with the challenges it has faced in recent weeks. With staff members worrying about their soldier sons in Gaza or even receiving call-up orders themselves, the organization found itself on an emergency footing and made every effort to keep life on an even keel for those who depend upon it.
"We are happy to announce that despite the exceptional professional challenges, the organization successfully stood up to the task and limited the trauma for the children and adults with special needs," it says.
Keren Or website after being hacked (Photo: YouTube)
The organization, located in Jerusalem, is the only one of its kind for visually impaired children and young adults with other disabilities. It provides education, therapy, housing and job opportunities for its members. Keren Or's goal, it says, is to give the chance to lead fulfilling and productive lives in the wider community.
