Netanyahu Denies Receiving Hamas Warning, Vows Defamation Suit

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has denied claims that he received advance warning from former Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel regarding the Hamas attacks of October 7th. Netanyahu announced his intention to file a defamation lawsuit over these allegations. According to his office, Netanyahu did not meet or speak with Kamel in the months preceding October 7th, and no Israeli intelligence official conveyed any Egyptian warning to the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister's office also stated that Netanyahu never meets or speaks with foreign intelligence chiefs without their Israeli counterparts present.

Netanyahu further accused "left-wing media" of conducting a "vile and false campaign" to attribute the failures of October 7th to him, specifically targeting Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar. He claimed that on the night before the attack, Bar held numerous conversations with then-IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and head of Military Intelligence Aharon Haliva, discussing all the warning signs. Despite this, Netanyahu asserted, Bar chose not to contact or update the Prime Minister, nor did he alert the emergency response teams and IDF forces in the field, or evacuate the Nova music festival. Netanyahu suggested Bar's decision to send only a small "Tequila team" indicated he knew of a real danger.

Concluding his remarks, Netanyahu alleged that "false blood libels" are also being promoted by hostile foreign states and entities, including Arab nations. He believes their goal is to topple his right-wing government and replace it with a left-wing government supported by Arab parties, led by figures like Gantz, Ya'alon, and Lieberman. This hypothetical government, he claimed, would withdraw from Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and the West Bank, and establish a Palestinian state. Netanyahu framed the upcoming elections as a choice between his government and a Palestinian state.