Netanyahu Received Explicit Warning of Hamas Attack Before October 7

A new investigation claims that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received a direct warning about a planned Hamas operation, including the word "earthquake" to describe its potential impact, approximately ten days before the October 7th attacks. The report, detailed in the upcoming book "Hostages: 843 Days of Abandonment" by journalists Shlomi Eldar and Ruth Yuval, suggests that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar conveyed this message through intermediaries.

According to the investigation, Sinwar, frustrated by stalled hostage release negotiations, communicated through a Fatah operative that he was planning a "big surprise" for Israel, using the Arabic word "zilzal," meaning earthquake. This message was reportedly passed to an advisor of UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed, who then relayed it to Netanyahu via a secure communication app developed by the Emirates. The report states that Netanyahu, during a call with bin Zayed on September 15th, downplayed concerns, stating Israel was "prepared in Gaza" and anticipated any issues would arise in the West Bank. He allegedly did not inform key security officials, including then-IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and then-Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, of this specific warning.

This revelation follows earlier reports, including one from "Yedioth Ahronoth" journalist Smadar Peri, indicating that Egyptian intelligence had also warned Netanyahu of an "imminent, terrible thing" from Hamas days before the massacre. Security officials cited in the investigation expressed that knowing about the UAE's warning could have provided additional weight to intelligence already received on September 15th, potentially altering their assessment of Hamas's intentions and Sinwar's sudden withdrawal from negotiation talks in early September.

Netanyahu's office has vehemently denied the report, calling it a "complete lie" and stating that the Prime Minister did not speak with the UAE president during the relevant period nor receive any warning from him. However, former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar and former IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi confirmed they were not briefed on the alleged warning from the UAE president. Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett asserted the report is true and accused Netanyahu of "criminal negligence" for ignoring warnings, while Gadi Eisenkot, head of the Yisrael Beiteinu party, stated that "more and more signs indicate that Netanyahu led Israel blindly into the October 7th failure."