Journalist Claims Dramatic Report on Oct. 7 Warning Collapsed

A significant controversy has erupted around a report by journalist Shlomi Eldar concerning a warning that preceded the October 7th Hamas attack. The dispute intensified after Soufian Abu Zeida, a former Fatah official identified as the source codenamed "Coal Eyes," stated in a Channel 12 interview that he did not understand a message he received from Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar as a warning of a large-scale war.

Abu Zeida, who was recently revealed to have received the message from Sinwar and passed it on, claimed that at the time he believed it might relate to events in the West Bank, not an attack of the magnitude of October 7th. "I didn't think at all that what Sinwar told me was a warning of war, or something close to October 7th," he stated.

Journalists Amit Segal and Avishai Grinzaig have sharply criticized Eldar's report, highlighting discrepancies between Abu Zeida's recent statements and the original publication. They point out that Eldar's report presented the message as a significant warning of war, while the recipient himself now says he did not interpret it that way.

Further contradictions raised by Segal and Grinzaig include Abu Zeida's assertion that neither Mohammed Dahlan nor UAE officials, who also received the message, understood it as a war warning. Abu Zeida also claimed the message referred to a timeframe of "by the end of September," a detail the critics argue was omitted from Eldar's report and is crucial given the October 7th attack occurred later.

Grinzaig, who has been in a public dispute with Eldar over the report's credibility, stated that Abu Zeida's interview reinforces his earlier doubts. Eldar and Ruth Yuval's original report had described Sinwar's messages as including phrases like "earthquake," "huge surprise," and "terrifying operation," which were allegedly passed to the UAE and Israel.

The public debate has escalated into a personal confrontation between Eldar and Segal on social media. While Abu Zeida's interview may not provide a definitive resolution, it adds a significant layer to the ongoing controversy, with critics demanding Eldar address the newly raised questions.