Families of Hostages Kidnapped by Hamas Turn to Phone Pings for Proof of Life

Polins nightmare started on October 7, a date now etched into the Israeli psyche, when Hamas gunmen forced their way through the Gaza border wall, killing entire families, destroying border towns, and kidnapping men, women, and children..

For many, the trail ends at the border, leaving families to look for other signs, such as phone location signals, to try to confirm that their loved ones are among the 224 people now believed to be held hostage...

So having a phone identification come in from Gaza is something that gave us a small dose ofI dont know what the word is, not strength, not optimism, its hopehope that he is with his phone and that he is alive.. Phone pings can help triangulate a device, a method that approximates location based on the signal a phone sends to nearby cell phone towers when the device makes phone calls, sends messages, or accesses the internet..

When Israeli officials do not provide families with triangulation data from cell phone towers, families have been trying to track down phones themselves, using the find-my-phone features offered by iPhones and Androids..

We were also trying, when we didn't think it's damaging, to assist families to track down phones, says Omri Segev Moyal, CEO of Israeli cybersecurity firm Profero, adding that this is an activity he and his colleagues do in a personal capacity, not as representatives of the company..

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