In one of the videos circulated in recent days by Iranian hackers from the “Handala” group, former IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi is seen during a secret meeting, dressed in civilian clothes, presenting Jordanian Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Maj. Gen. Yousef Al-Hunaiti with a dagger that belonged to a Jordanian soldier killed in the 1967 Battle of Ammunition Hill in Jerusalem.
According to the hackers, the materials were obtained through a breach of the former chief’s mobile phone. The leaks are part of a psychological-information campaign aimed at embarrassing both Israel and its security services, as well as regional regimes, particularly Jordan, by portraying them as maintaining close and “warm” ties with the IDF, especially against the backdrop of heightened regional tensions. For the Israeli public, the leaks expose a glimpse of the close security coordination that operates largely under the radar.
סרטון הפגיון pic.twitter.com/lvBB3XaCEk
— jerusalem online (@Jlmonline) April 10, 2026
How is the Battle of Ammunition Hill in Jerusalem connected to the dagger?
The story of the dagger goes back to one of the most iconic and intense battles of the 1967 Six-Day War – the Battle of Ammunition Hill in Jerusalem. On the second day of the war, a reserve paratroopers force from Brigade 55 found itself in a fierce fight against Jordanian Arab Legion soldiers entrenched in fortified bunkers at the site. By the end of the battle, Ammunition Hill was captured, and the brigade continued toward the Old City. Thirty-six Israeli paratroopers were killed, along with 70 Jordanian soldiers. A memorial site was later established at the location.
More than five decades later, in 2021, during infrastructure works linked to the Jerusalem light rail Red Line or renovations at the memorial site (the exact timing and circumstances remain undisclosed), the remains of a Jordanian soldier were discovered during archaeological excavations, along with his personal dagger.
The remains were brought to burial in a ceremony coordinated between the IDF, Israel Police and Jordanian authorities, which received public coverage. The coffin, wrapped in the Jordanian flag, was taken to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on the Temple Mount, where a funeral prayer was held with the participation of official Jordanian military representatives. After the prayer, the remains were transferred in a military procession to the Jordanian soldiers’ cemetery near Lions’ Gate in the northeastern part of Jerusalem’s Old City.
The story of the dagger and its transfer to Jordan was never officially published and only became known following the leak by the “Handala” group. The secret handover ceremony likely took place in 2023, before the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war.
