Eisenkot Claims Netanyahu Received Arab Warnings Before Oct. 7; Gallant Details Hostage Deal Collapse

Gadi Eisenkot, Chairman of the Yisrael! Party, stated that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received multiple warnings from Arab sources, including the UAE and Egypt, about impending threats before the October 7th Hamas attack. Eisenkot, speaking at the Reichman University International Conference on Counter-Terrorism, asserted that the Shin Bet was aware of a "very serious" impending event, not necessarily a surprise attack, based on assurances from Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar via a mediator. He criticized Netanyahu for rejecting proposed targeted killings in Gaza, calling it a "very deep failure" and accusing the Prime Minister of evading responsibility for the events.

Eisenkot also recalled numerous discussions with Netanyahu during his tenure as Chief of Staff about the threat of raids into Israel, expressing surprise at Netanyahu's alleged lack of memory regarding these discussions and the military plans developed to counter them, such as "Jericho Wall." He pledged that a future government would establish a broad-mandated state inquiry commission to investigate the October 7th events. Eisenkot further commented on the war's objectives, stating that apart from the return of hostages, no other goal has been achieved, and criticized Israel's international isolation, attributing it to Netanyahu's "a people that dwells alone" philosophy.

Former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant also addressed the conference, discussing the failed attempts to secure a second hostage deal after November 2023. He revealed that security officials, including the Chief of Staff, head of the Shin Bet, and head of the Mossad, supported a proposal involving the "Nitzana corridor" as a basis for a deal. Gallant stated that a rare consensus formed within the security cabinet, with members including Gantz, Dermer, Eisenkot, Deri, and himself, pushing for the deal, but Netanyahu initially resisted.

Gallant further disclosed that a document outlining the negotiation mandate, agreed upon by Netanyahu, Gantz, and himself, set a target of 33 living hostages, with a minimum threshold of 18 for a deal. He claimed that the secret terms of this deal were leaked, leading to its collapse. Gallant suggested that Bezalel Smotrich's subsequent public statement in the cabinet about releasing prisoners for 18 hostages revealed the "bottom line" to Hamas, causing them to demand 33 hostages instead. Gallant concluded that this leak, orchestrated by someone with an interest in breaking the negotiations, ultimately caused the deal to shatter, noting that the terms later agreed upon in January 2025 were similar to the collapsed deal plus the release of 110 life-sentenced prisoners.