Seven Italians were among around 90 WhatsApp users informed by the messaging platform last week that they had been targeted in a Paragon spyware operation, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's office said.

The Guardian newspaper reported Thursday that Israel-based Paragon had terminated its client relationship with Italy after determining it had broken the terms of service and ethical framework agreed in their contract.

Israel's Haaretz daily also reported that Paragon had stopped its dealings with the two bodies it worked with in Italy, a law enforcement agency and an intelligence agency.

The Italian government declined to comment on the development, and Paragon did not immediately respond.

But Meloni's office issued a statement late Wednesday denying it had spied on its own citizens, and saying it had referred the matter to the National Cybersecurity Agency.

The government denied that "subjects protected" by law "including journalists, have been subject to surveillance by intelligence services, and therefore by the government".

Francesco Cancellato, editor-in-chief of Italian news website Fanpage, and Luca Casarini, one of the founders of non-governmental organisation Mediterranea Saving Humans, have both revealed they were targeted in the WhatsApp campaign.

Casarini's NGO is one of several that rescue migrants in the Mediterranean, an activity strongly criticised by Meloni, who has vowed to cut arrivals on Italy's shores.

Mediterranea said in a statement Wednesday that some of its activities "are the focus of attention of the Italian secret services".

"Some questions arise: did the Italian government authorise such an operation? Do the Italian secret services use Paragon software?" it said.

Paragon is among several firms that have emerged in recent years offering sophisticated surveillance tools to government clients.

Critics argue these companies enable rights abuses under the guise of national security operations.

Giuseppe Conte, leader of the opposition Five Star Movement, demanded answers, saying the surveillance of journalists was a matter of "unprecedented gravity in a democratic system".

WhatsApp, which is owned by US tech giant Meta, said last Friday the spyware operation was carried out through malicious PDF files sent in group chats.