Netanyahu Was Personally Warned Of An Imminent Attack Days Before Oct. 7 But Didn’t Act: Report

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was warned about a large attack from Hamas days before October 7 but his government did not do anything with the information, according to a new report.

Israeli outlet Haaretz cited a book from top journalists Shlomi Eldar and Ruth Yuval, who conducted dozens of interviews with sources including senior officials in the country and around the world.

The book, called "Kidnapped: 843 Days of Abandonment," claims that Netanyahu got the warning some 10 days before the attack from Mohammed bin Zayed. He said then-Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was planning a major attack that would lead to a large escalation.

The report went on to say that MBZ was surprised by Netanyahu's response to his warning. He said that his government was on top of developments in Gaza and that potential actions would come from the West Bank. Regardless, Israel was prepared for any scenario, he said.

MBZ said Sinwar was frustrated about the lack of progress in negotiations for a prisoner exchange with Israel, and the threat to conduct what would become the October 7 attacks came from the Hamas leader himself.

Such a deal was on the verge of being completed in the summer of 2023, but Netanyahu repeatedly delayed convening officials who would be involved in approving the decision. One theory was that the doubts could have stemmed from fear of upsetting the hardline faction of his coalition.

By September, Sinwar cut off contact with negotiators in early September 2023, telling a Palestinian negotiator known as "coal eyes" to warn Israel about the consequences of the delays. "Tell them to expect a zilzal, an earthquake," he reportedly said.

"It was clear to him that the operation Sinwar was talking about could affect the entire Middle East, but he was afraid to report the information directly to the Shin Bet. On the other hand, he was even more terrified that if he didn't update the Shin Bet, the Israelis might accuse him of collaborating with Sinwar. He genuinely feared for his life. Therefore, he decided to convey the message to Bin Zayed," the authors wrote.

"Coal eyes" took the warning to MBZ, claiming that zilzal meant war. However, the warning was not conveyed by either party, leading Sinwar to call on him to relay the message that he was preparing "something extraordinary." "Coal eyes" then took the new warning to MBZ, and also to the Shin Bet, the internal security and counterintelligence agency.

Top officials then discussed the warning, but didn't see it as a threat coming from Gaza and failed to act, with one rhetorically asking why Sinwar would send them a warning.

"Either it was because he grew tired of Israel's foot-dragging, wanting to pressure us into an arrangement and not so eager to start a war. Or, as we prefer to think, it was part of his 'Great Deception' plan, and he wanted to test the IDF's readiness," the official added.

MBZ then held a call with Netanyahu, alarmed by the lack of reaction. "He told Netanyahu that Israel should be ready. Concurrently, he recommended trying to find an economic solution for the Strip and calming the West Bank to prevent escalation," the official said.

On October 1, then-Shin Bet head Ronen Bar proposed taking action, including assassinating top officials, but Netanyahu didn't make a decision. Six days later Hamas launched an assault that ended up with 1,200 people killed and the taking of 251 hostages into Gaza, leading to a years-long war that expanded throughout the Middle East.

The Prime Minister's office rejected the report, calling it a "total lie!" "Prime Minister Netanyahu did not speak with the president of the United Arab Emirates during the period in question and received no warning from him," the office added.