Netanyahu Was Warned of Sinwar's 'Earthquake' Plot Before Oct. 7

A new book by journalists Shlomi Eldar and Ruth Yuval, "Hostages: 843 Days of Abandonment," claims that Israeli 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 report adds to previous claims by "Yedioth Ahronoth" journalist Smadar Peri, who stated Egypt also warned Netanyahu of an "imminent, terrible thing" 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, conveying a message for the Israelis: "Tell the Israelis I am planning a big surprise for them if they don't move forward." Sinwar allegedly used the word "earthquake" to describe his planned action.

The Fatah official, reportedly frightened, passed the message to an advisor to UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed. Sinwar allegedly repeated the warning, emphasizing the "earthquake" plan. On September 15th, then-Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar was reportedly updated with this information. Ten days later, on September 25th, bin Zayed allegedly contacted Netanyahu via a secure app to confirm he had received the warning. During this call, Netanyahu reportedly downplayed the threat, stating Israel was "prepared in Gaza" and anticipated any issues would arise in the West Bank.

Following this conversation, Netanyahu allegedly did not inform then-IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, then-Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, or then-Mossad chief David Barnea. Eldar suggests that security officials in the Shin Bet and IDF believe knowing about bin Zayed's call would have provided additional context to the intelligence already 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 during the relevant period nor receive any warning. 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 corroborated the report, calling it true and asserting Netanyahu bears personal responsibility for the failures leading to the deaths of thousands of Israelis, labeling his alleged disregard for warnings as "criminal negligence."