Hackers take control of Israeli TV broadcast and play Muslim call to prayer

Incident allegedly takes place in protest of controversial bill that limits the volume of the call to prayer from mosques

Hackers took control of an Israeli news channel and broadcast the Muslim call to prayer.

Israel's Channel 2’s transmission was disrupted after hackers gained access to TV satellites on Tuesday night.

The hack allegedly took place in protest of a controversial bill that limits the volume of the ‘Adhan’ from mosques in Israel.

The transmission also had messages written in Hebrew warning of “punishment from God” and said that “the fire burned hearts”.

“Residents in northern Israel viewing Channel 2 via satellite TV reported that during the evening broadcast someone took over central control of the broadcast and played the voice of the muezzin,” the Tribune reported.

An Arab politician had previously staged a Muslim call to prayer in Israel’s parliament in protest against the bill to quieten mosques.

Ahmad Tibi, a member of the Israeli government, performed the ‘Azan’ during a speech in which he argued the proposed bill.

Another Arab-Israeli politician, Taleb Abu Arar, joined Mr Tibi in performing the call.

The bill, which applies to all places of worship but is seen as targeting mosques, has the support of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“I cannot count the times – they are simply too numerous – that citizens have turned to me from all parts of Israeli society, from all religions, with complaints about the noise and suffering caused them by the excessive noise coming to them from the public address systems of houses of prayer,” Mr Netanyahu told a cabinet meeting.