Netanyahu Received Sinwar Warning Before Oct. 7, New Book Claims

A new book by journalists Shlomi Eldar and Ruth Yuval, "Hostages: 843 Days of Abandonment," alleges that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received a direct warning about a planned Hamas operation from Yahya Sinwar a week and a half before the October 7th attacks. This claim aligns with earlier reports that Egypt had also warned Netanyahu of an "imminent something" days before the massacre.

According to Eldar, the warning originated from stalled hostage release negotiations. In early September, Sinwar reportedly disappeared from Shin Bet radar. He then allegedly contacted a Fatah official, relaying a message for the Israelis that he was planning a "big surprise" if negotiations didn't progress, using the term "earthquake" to describe his intentions. This message was reportedly passed to an advisor to UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed.

Sinwar allegedly repeated the "earthquake" warning a second time to ensure it reached Israeli officials. On September 15th, then-Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar received this intelligence and updated the Prime Minister. Ten days later, bin Zayed reportedly contacted Netanyahu via a secure app to confirm he had received the warning. During this call, Netanyahu allegedly downplayed the threat, stating Israel was prepared in Gaza and anticipated any issues would arise in the West Bank.

Eldar claims that following this conversation, Netanyahu did not update then-IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, then-Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, or then-Mossad chief David Barnea. Security officials, including those in the Shin Bet and IDF, stated that knowing about bin Zayed's warning would have provided additional context to existing intelligence received on September 15th.

The Prime Minister's Office has vehemently denied the report, calling it a "complete lie" and stating Netanyahu did not speak with the UAE president or receive any warning during the period in question. However, former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar and former IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi confirmed they were not informed of the UAE president's warning. Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett stated the report is true and accused Netanyahu of "criminal negligence" for ignoring warnings, suggesting this is why he opposes a state inquiry commission.