Ofer Hadad (; born December 18, 1983) is an Israeli

journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

. He serves as a political correspondent and host of Today's Edition on

Hevrat HaHadashot Hevrat HaHadashot () is one of the three major brands of Israeli television news programmes. Produced for Keshet 12 by Keshet Media Group subsidiary Israel Television News Company (), Hadashot 12 (). Its flagship evening news bulletin is br ...

, as well as Morning Diary on Radio Jerusalem. He previously hosted the program Shalosh on Israeli Channel 12.

Biography

Hadad was born and raised in

Rishon LeZion Rishon LeZion ( , "First to Zion") is a city in Israel, located along the central Israeli coastal plain south of Tel Aviv. It is part of the Gush Dan metropolitan area. Founded in 1882 by Jewish immigrants from the Russian Empire who were ...

, the third of four children, in a national religious household. His father, Naftali, worked as a farmer, and his mother, Sari, served a lengthy career in the

Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branches: the Israeli Ground Forces, the Israeli Air Force, and ...

(IDF), reaching a senior rank. He attended the state religious elementary school "Harel" in his hometown and participated actively in the

Bnei Akiva Bnei Akiva (, , "Children of Akiva") is the largest religious Zionist youth movement in the world, with over 125,000 members in 42 countries. It was first established in Mandatory Palestine in 1929, advocating the values of Torah and labor. Bne ...

youth movement. Hadad served in the

Israeli Intelligence Corps The Israeli Intelligence Corps (, ''Heil HaModi'in''), abbreviated to Haman () is an Israel Defense Forces corps which falls under the jurisdiction of IDF Directorate of Military Intelligence ( Aman) and is responsible for collecting, disseminatin ...

through the

Hesder Hesder ( "arrangement"; also Yeshivat Hesder ) is an Israeli yeshiva program which combines advanced Talmudic studies with military service in the Israel Defense Forces, usually within a Religious Zionist framework. The program allows Orthodox J ...

program but ended his military service prematurely due to injuries sustained in a car accident. In 2022, following Avshalom Kor’s retirement, Hadad was selected to host the

International Bible Contest The International Bible Contest (; ''Hidon HaTanakh'' also spelled ''Chidon HaTanach'' or ''Jidon Hatanaj'' mong Spanish and Portuguese-speaking Jews is a worldwide competition on the Tanakh (Jewish Bible) for middle school and high school Jewis ...

(חידון התנ"ך העולמי).

Qatargate

On 10 February 2025, Ofer Hadad reported on Channel 12 that the closest advisors to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: Yisrael Einhorn, Ofer Golan,

Jonatan Urich Jonatan Urich (; born 21 February 1989) is a strategic advisor to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He previously served as Benjamin Netanyahu’s spokesman, as director of new media, and as a spokesperson for the Likud movement. Biog ...

, and

Eli Feldstein Eliezer "Eli" Feldstein (; born about 1992) is Benjamin Netanyahu's spokesman for military affairs. He was interrogated and arrested in November 2024 on suspicion of security offenses during the Gaza war, and in March 2025 he was arrested on s ...

, were employed by the Qatari government, for promoting the Qatari interests in the top political and security authorities of Israel, including the image of Qatar. Following the report, opposition leader

Yair Lapid Yair Lapid ( ; born 5 November 1963) is an Israeli politician of the centrist Yesh Atid party and a former journalist who has been the Leader of the Opposition (Israel), Leader of the Opposition since January 2023, having previously served in t ...

called for an investigation into Qatar's reported actions and called it "a clear detriment" to Israeli security. On 27 February 2025,

Gali Baharav-Miara Gali Baharav-Miara (; born 18 September 1959) is an Israeli lawyer who serves as the current Attorney General of Israel. Prior to that, she served as the Tel Aviv District Attorney for Civil Affairs, and as a consultant to the law firm Tadmor, L ...

, the

Attorney General of Israel The attorney general of Israel (, ''Ha-Yo'etz Ha-Mishpati La-Memshala'', ) heads the legal system of the executive branch and the public prosecution of the state. The attorney general advises the government in legal matters, represents the stat ...

, instructed the Shin Bet and the Police of Israel to open an investigation.

Personal life

Hadad lives

Talbiya Talbiya or Talbiyeh (; ), officially Komemiyut (), is an upscale neighborhood in Jerusalem, between Rehavia and HaMoshava HaGermanit. It is renowned for its eclectic architectural styles, and often regarded as one of the most beautiful neighborh ...

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

. he's married to Hodi and they have 3 children. He holds a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

from

Bar-Ilan University Bar-Ilan University (BIU, , ''Universitat Bar-Ilan'') is a public research university in the Tel Aviv District city of Ramat Gan, Israel. Established in 1955, Bar Ilan is Israel's second-largest academic university institution. It has 20,000 ...

References

{{Reflist Israeli journalists Bar-Ilan University alumni Israeli television news anchors People from Rishon LeZion 1983 births Living people