‘Hacktivist Anonymous,’ a group of international hackers, has promised to ‘erase Israel from the internet’ in a coordinated attack against the country on April 7.

A hacker, who adopted the pseudonym ‘Anon Ghost,’ initiated the event and named it #OpIsrael, according to the Arabian Gazette on Wednesday.

Many more known hacktivists, notorious for carrying out state-targeted attacks, are supporting the campaign. One hacking team told The Hackers Post website their reason for participation; “Israel isn't stopping human rights violations. It’s to show solidarity with newly recognized Palestinian state.”

Israel has taken the threats seriously, especially since several state-run websites have already been affected, subsequently, defensive preparations are already underway.

Officer Ben Avi, Director of online webpage Accessible Government, told Israeli news source Haaretz, “what distinguishes this plan when compared to previous attacks is that it really seems to be organized by Anonymous-affiliated groups from around the world in what looks like a joining of forces.”

The first #OpIsrael cyber-attacks were launched by the hacktivist group during Israeli’s Pillar of Defense assault on Gaza in November 2012.

Some 700 Israeli websites have already fallen victim to repeated cyber-attacks, including high-profile government systems such as the Foreign Ministry and the Israeli President’s official website.

The Israeli Finance Ministry reported an estimated 44 million unique attacks on government websites, according to online media source RT on Wednesday.

The Hacktivist group has also posted personal data of 5000 Israeli officials, containing names, I.D. numbers and personal emails.

Anon Ghost told The Hackers Post, “the hacking teams have decided to unite against Israel as one entity…Israel should be getting prepared to be erased from the internet.”

Last Update: Wednesday, 27 March 2013 KSA 15:31 - GMT 12:31