Netanyahu warned about Hamas attack on October 7, reveals Israeli newspaper
Concerns grow for Netanyahu following claims by Israeli newspaper 'Haaretz'.
The President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Mohammed bin Zayed (MBZ) warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about a potential major attack by Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar approximately a week and a half before the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, according to a probe based on senior sources and internal documents.
According to the Israeli newspaper ‘HAARETZ’,
despite the warning, Netanyahu did not take the threat seriously. He stated that he believed Hamas was focused on the West Bank and that Israel was prepared to handle any situation. The investigation claimed that the UAE President's warning did not reach the heads of Israel's internal security agency Shin Bet, intelligence agency MOSSAD, or the Israeli army.
However, Netanyahu's office has categorically denied any such conversation.
‘HAARETZ’ report is based on the new book by journalists Shlomi Eldar and Ruth Yuval titled Kidnapped: 843 Days of Abandonment. This book is based on conversations with senior officials from Israel and many countries around the world. The report states that Netanyahu and Mohammed bin Zayed had a phone conversation lasting about 45 minutes in the last days of September. Three senior foreign officials were also informed about this conversation.
The report also cites an advisor to Mohammed bin Zayed (MBZ), who had direct knowledge of this conversation. It has been reported that,
Mohammed bin Zayed, also known as MBZ warned Netanyahu that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar is preparing for a major action against Israel. This could lead to heavy bloodshed, destabilize the entire region, and damage the Abraham Accords.
Netanyahu's reaction surprised MBZ. Netanyahu did not take this warning seriously. He stated that,
Israel is keeping a close watch on Gaza. If Hamas does take any action, it is likely to be only in the West Bank. He also claimed that Israel is prepared for every situation.
MBZ received information about the threat from Hamas directly from Yahya Sinwar's statements. In mid-2023, Sinwar was frustrated with the lack of progress in negotiations with Israel regarding the release of prisoners. At that time, Hamas had captured some Israeli citizens who had entered Gaza. Additionally, Hamas also had the bodies of two Israeli soldiers.
Sinwar had recently told a senior Fatah official several times to warn Israel. Sinwar's message was that if Israel did not move forward in the direction of an agreement, it could face serious consequences.
In a conversation, Sinwar said,
“Tell the Israelis that if they do not move forward, I am preparing a very big surprise for them. Tell them to be ready for an earthquake.”
In another conversation, Sinwar said that
he is preparing for a “very big and powerful operation.” A Fatah official had close ties with an advisor to MBZ. Therefore, he conveyed this information to the advisor.
The advisor told HAARETZ,
He was very anxious. It was clear to him that Sinwar is talking about an operation that could have an impact across the Middle East. But he was afraid to directly inform Israel's domestic security agency Shin Bet.
According to the advisor, the official was also afraid that,
if he did not inform Israel's national security agency Shin Bet, Israel could accuse him of collusion with Sinwar. He felt his life was in danger. Therefore, he decided to convey this message to Mohammed bin Zayed (MBZ).
The report states that MBZ and his advisor interpreted this warning to mean that Hamas was considering starting a war. It has been reported that in mid-September, the Fatah official and advisor also conveyed this warning directly to Shin Bet. Following this, Israeli security officials discussed this information. However, they did not see it as a warning of a major attack on Israel from Gaza. No concrete decisions were made after this discussion.
Due to the lack of response, MBZ became so concerned that he spoke directly to Netanyahu on the phone. However, according to the report, Netanyahu did not take this threat seriously. On October 1, the then head of Shin Bet, Ronen Bar, proposed taking preemptive action against Hamas, including steps such as assassinating Hamas's top leaders. But Netanyahu did not make any decision on this. He only said that the agency should present its proposals, after which he would consider them. Netanyahu did not mention his conversation with MBZ during this meeting.
Shin Bet’s senior official told the newspaper,
If we had been aware of these warnings, we might have taken the initial messages from Sinwar more seriously. It might have also clarified why Sinwar suddenly backed away from the de-escalation talks at the beginning of September. It is possible that we would have reached a different conclusion by connecting all the information. This could have changed our entire intelligence understanding.”
However, the Israeli Prime Minister's office has completely rejected this report. The office stated,
“This is completely false. Prime Minister Netanyahu did not have any conversations with the President of the United Arab Emirates during that time, nor did he receive any warnings from them.”
According to people familiar with this conversation,
this oversight occurred at a time when Israel's security apparatus was already investigating some other warning signs. On September 15, a Palestinian mediator and Bin Zayed's advisor had also informed Shin Bet about Sinwar's message regarding a 'quake-like attack.'
After this, Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar spoke to Netanyahu. Shin Bet, military intelligence, MOSSAD, and senior officials from the National Security Council also held meetings. Nevertheless, the officials did not conclude that Hamas was preparing for a large-scale attack from Gaza. One assessment was that Sinwar was trying to exert pressure in negotiations related to the release of prisoners.
The Times of Israel reported that former Israeli army chief and Netanyahu's main electoral rival Gadi Eisenkot reacted sharply to this report. He accused Netanyahu of leading Israel blindly towards the devastation of October 7.
Yashar Party leader Eisenkot wrote on the social media platform X,
“The evidence that keeps coming forward points to one conclusion—Netanyahu plunged Israel into the devastation of October 7 without preparation.”
He questioned,
“Who did not wake whom?” According to Eisenkot, those around Netanyahu are fueling a narrative of ‘betrayal’ and the Prime Minister is trying to evade responsibility by claiming he was not awakened in time.
Eisenkot said,
Netanyahu received dozens of warnings before October 7, but he ignored all of them. He is not fit for the position of Prime Minister.”
He further stated that,
After the next government is formed, a government inquiry commission will be established. This commission will investigate the events of the past ten years, determine what information Netanyahu had, and suggest measures to prevent such devastation in the future.
The leader of the opposition Democrats Party, Yair Golan also reacted strongly to the report. He said,
Netanyahu is not fit for this position and should be in jail for the crimes committed against Israel.
Yair Golan wrote on X,
“Now the excuse that he was not awakened is over. He knew everything and was warned in advance. The truth, written in the blood of thousands of Israeli citizens and fallen soldiers, is once again before us. The person sitting in the position of Prime Minister of Israel has evaded his responsibilities.
Yair Golan alleged that the investigation reveals that Netanyahu received a clear warning from the President of the UAE, but he deliberately concealed it from the heads of the army and Shin Bet.
He said,
“Netanyahu was warned repeatedly. Security agencies alerted him, and we also warned him. Millions of pro-democracy protesters on the streets kept saying that you are putting Israel in danger and leading the country towards devastation.”
Netanyahu labeled the protesters as anarchists and chose to save his political power instead of the national interest, siding with extremists and his allies who avoid military service.