Bennett Claims UAE, Egypt Warned Netanyahu Before Oct. 7 Attack

Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett stated that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received warnings in the days leading up to the October 7th Hamas attack, including from the leaders of the UAE and Egypt, but chose to ignore them. Bennett's remarks, made in an interview with Kan radio, followed a Haaretz newspaper report alleging that UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed had cautioned Netanyahu about a significant planned move against Israel by Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.

Bennett further claimed that Netanyahu also received a warning from the then-head of Egyptian General Intelligence, Abbas Kamel. He accused Netanyahu of being "deeply immersed in his concept that Hamas is an interest for Israel," citing his dealings with Qatar and Sinwar, and asserted that this mindset led to the dismissal of the pre-attack warnings. Bennett stated that Netanyahu "received the warnings and did nothing," holding him directly responsible for the failures preceding October 7th, which he described as the "greatest disaster in the history of the State of Israel."

The Haaretz report, which Netanyahu's office has vehemently denied, suggested that the UAE president's warning specifically mentioned a "major move" planned by Sinwar and that Netanyahu did not relay this information to senior security officials. The Prime Minister's office issued a statement calling the report "an absolute lie," asserting that Netanyahu did not speak with the UAE president during the period in question nor receive any warning from him.

This controversy emerges amidst ongoing discussions in Israel regarding the nature of warnings received by political and security leadership before the October 7th attack, how they were handled, and who bears responsibility for the failures.