There are many quantitative data and indicators that indicate the growth and expansion of the cyberspace phenomenon (Anatolia Agency).
At the beginning of the second millennium, the relationship between cyberspace and international relations emerged from its technological dimension to other political, security, economic, military and legal dimensions, and turned into a functional and vital role, whether in acquiring elements of power or in shaping foreign policies, influencing public opinion, and even providing the opportunity to form international alliances. .
It has become a stable matter in international relations that the sources and forms of power are changing. In addition to hard power, which is represented by military and economic capabilities, interest has increased in the non-material dimensions of power, and soft power has emerged, which depends on the attractiveness of persuasion and model.
Then new trends emerged when talking about smart power, and as a result of the information and communications revolution that coincided with the spread of the Internet and the expansion of its users in the mid-nineties of the last century, a new environment emerged, namely (cyberspace), in addition to the four known environments.
Since that time, cyberspace has become part of the modern international scene, a fundamental variable, and one of the main elements that influence the international system. Thus, this space established a new concept of power, which is what has become known as (cyberpower), which is based on creativity, innovation, and invention and is linked to possessing Technological knowledge and ability to use it.
Accordingly, cyberspace has become a driver and mediator of international interactions with their cooperative and conflictual patterns. It is witnessing a continuous growth in its uses and applications, which have played a fundamental role in improving human life in many areas, and the world has become increasingly dependent on this space in military, banking, governmental information infrastructure, e-commerce, and in communications, navigation, and digital media broadcasting.
In this sense, today, the analysis of power in international relations is no longer complete without taking into account cyberspace in a world with a population exceeding 8 billion people, 5.3 billion of whom use this space at a rate exceeding 67%.
There are many quantitative data and indicators that indicate the growth and expansion of the phenomenon of cyberspace, measured in fractions of a second. Let us imagine this world in which millions of texts and emails are sent, videos and pictures are downloaded, scrolled, viewed and interacted with (about 250 million messages are sent in email). Every minute (350 billion messages per day), 19 million text messages (27 billion per day), 3 million searches on Google, 4 million photos on Snapchat, and about 650 million videos on TikTok every minute, and 3 views. 5 million YouTube videos per minute, while more than 500 hours of visual content are uploaded to the site itself.
Today's global "digital state" landscape is more massive and complex than we thought, and in this landscape Big Data appears more valuable than ever. Why do we say that? Because the data world’s sales volume in 2023 reached about $900 billion, and this number is expected to rise to about $1.6 trillion by 2025.
Of course, this data is transmitted and used through cyberspace 99% via cables (physical layer), and 1% via satellites.
The same data used by sites like All Access and Statista predicts that global spending on digital advertising will reach about $700 billion in 2024.
Thus, cyberspace - through its various applications based on innovation and creativity - has allowed the creation of wealth, which in turn is transformed into influence, power, and power. This space has become a strategic information infrastructure for vital areas and facilities in human life, and it has the ability to overlap in operational environments, such as: land, sea, air, and outer space.
What has drawn attention since October 7, 2023, is that this war has revealed the central and vital role of cyberspace in shaping the outcomes of this conflict, which is taking place alongside the sound of tanks and cannons.
Cyberspace has affected power shifts in international relations across two levels:
The first: through the distribution and spread of power among a larger number of actors (states) and non-state actors, as cyber power has made some smaller actors in international politics have a greater ability to exercise both hard power and soft power, through cyberspace, and influence behavior. Actors in this space.
This level relates to the parties that possess power in light of its spread among non-state actors: (individuals, multinational companies, terrorist groups, pirates, and resistance and liberation movements) who have begun to play a role in international interactions, and this has imposed challenges on states and their sovereignty. .
The second: through the components of power and its forms, which are: (cyber attacks, viruses, hacking, hacking, algorithms, encryption, phishing, deception and cyber jamming).
The Al-Aqsa cyber flood...the silent battle between Israel and the Palestinians
The conflicts between Israel and the Hamas movement have always taken a new direction in cyberspace, where digital escalation is witnessing a noticeable intensification. Wars are not limited to land only, but are moving into a silent battle, where continuous cyber attacks are launched and the use of digital technological technologies is accelerating to seize information or disrupt infrastructure. associated with cyberspace.
To this day, Israeli research centers are still confused about how the resistance entered the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023. However, there are reasonable estimates that the military attack coincided with a Palestinian “cyber flood” that disabled some cameras and surveillance devices without being detected in the first hours.
As is known, the cyber environment is employed through the use of the hard dimension and the soft dimension, based on the premise that whoever possesses cyber power becomes more capable of exercising power and influencing the behavior of users of cyberspace.
Employing cyber capabilities in the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip
Giving this event, which is considered the most prominent on the level of international relations, an example in this context, is intended to demonstrate the importance of cyberspace, the power that established it and how it is exploited by international actors, meaning Israel, and non-state actors, i.e. (the resistance movement Hamas), in aspects Hard power and soft power.
What has drawn attention since October 7, 2023, is that this war has revealed the central and vital role of cyberspace in shaping the outcomes of this conflict, which is taking place alongside the sound of tanks and cannons.
First: The use of the hard dimension of cyber power by the Palestinian resistance is evident through:
The cyber attacks that occurred before the first missile salvo was launched from the Gaza Strip, mainly targeting the operational systems of the Iron Dome system, halting its operation for more than five hours.
Hitting communications towers and cutting Internet cables, causing the disruption of communications and communication between various defense and surveillance systems, and cyber jamming of radars in the Gaza envelope, hindering the ability to accurately determine locations and monitor activities in the region.
Hacking into servers and servers, controlling data storage centers, hacking Israeli soldiers’ phones, and pirating them prior to the “Al-Aqsa Flood” operation.
Hacking siren applications that send Israelis notification of missile attacks and nearby danger, completely disabling them for the duration of missile attacks.
Launching denial-of-service attacks on dozens of Israeli government websites. These attacks - according to the cloud flare company specializing in cyber systems - continued for six minutes and reached a peak of one million and 100 thousand requests per second.
Disabling more than 100 websites of some Israeli ministries, banks, universities, and the Israeli Post Office, hacking the Israeli Hydroelectric Power Plant and the Israeli Electricity Company, disrupting media and press websites, and the Israeli Emergency Alert application.
Second: The soft dimension:
The Palestinian resistance uses the Internet and social media platforms to broadcast its operations, speeches, and armed clashes on the field, and to publish video clips of Israeli prisoners in order to influence global public opinion: (decision makers, political, intellectual, and academic elites..), and to attract support and attention to what is happening in the Gaza Strip. .
Refuting the Israeli narrative (especially with regard to images of beheadings, rape of women, and burning of children).
There is a role that cannot be ignored for cyber agents. This category is considered part of the tools of cyber power and cyber activity that aims to spread awareness and enhance solidarity with the cause through awareness and organizing digital campaigns aimed at strengthening international pressure, cyber defense by protecting relevant websites. The Palestinian issue of hacking and cyber manipulation attacks, which appeared in this war by disrupting websites or targeting digital infrastructure, such as: the Russian “Killnet” group, Anonymous Sudan, and the Iranian AnonGhost, And the "Anonymous Algeria" group.
How did Israel use its cyber power in this war?
Israel is considered one of the leading countries in the use of cyber capabilities, whether on the level of (defense or attack). Israel used its hard power in cyberspace in this war by hacking the Palestinian Telecommunications Company, controlling the Internet and destroying the Palestinian communications infrastructure. Israel also harnessed Its cyber capabilities to monitor and assassinate some of the leaders of the resistance, whether in Lebanon, the West Bank, or the Gaza Strip, through hacking and cyber espionage, and even through its agents. An Israeli-linked hacker group calling itself the “predatory bird” targeted gas stations in Iran and took 70% of them out of reach. the service.
There has been an Israeli use of the soft dimension in cyberspace supported by algorithms (by pressuring major technology companies (which control cyberspace) to restrict content supporting the Palestinian cause and resistance across social media platforms) and by deepfake artificial intelligence applications (such as the burned corpse of a child ), and broadcast hundreds of messages through words, pictures, and videos to create a state of international sympathy and direct world public opinion through propaganda to demonize and Daesh the Palestinian, and liken what happened on October 7 in the Gaza settlement cluster to the “Nazi Holocaust.”
What can be concluded from the above is that cyberpower is considered one of the factors that multiply the power of states and non-state actors, such as resistance and liberation movements, exercising influence, achieving superiority, effectiveness and competition, and a fact that supports traditional power, complementing and supporting it in achieving goals and not a substitute for it.
The Israeli war on the Gaza Strip demonstrated that there is an important role for cyberspace and the power that established it, as this space had a dimension in shaping the outcomes of this conflict, which is taking place alongside the sound of tanks and cannons.
Cyberspace in general is considered a vital opportunity for entities with limited capabilities that suffer from a lack of resources, such as non-state actors, as this scope gives them opportunities to compete with countries with major cyber capabilities. This is particularly evident in the increasing desire of these actors to acquire offensive capabilities and integrate them into their mainstream tools. With the aim of enhancing its strategic objectives, maximizing its hard and soft power, and increasing its influence in other operational environments: land, sea, air, and outer space.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of Al Jazeera.