Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was personally and explicitly warned that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was planning a major attack roughly 10 days before the October 7 massacre, but dismissed the threat and did not alert his security chiefs, according to a shocking new Haaretz report.
The revelations come from research for an upcoming book Hostages: 843 Days of Abandonment, written by journalists Shlomi Eldar and Ruth Yuval, who writes for Haaretz.
United Arab Emirates President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan raised the alarm directly with Netanyahu during a 45-minute conversation, three senior foreign sources familiar with the exchange told the Israeli newspaper, and reportedly warned that Sinwar was preparing a major operation.
Netanyahu reportedly responded that he believed Hamas intended to operate in the West Bank and assured the Emirati leader that Israel was prepared for any scenario.
The warning was apparently never passed to Israel's top security officials. Former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar and former IDF chief of staff Herzi Halevi both told Haaretz they had not been informed about the conversation.
The report said the Emirati leader intervened after concerns grew in the UAE over intelligence originating with a Palestinian intermediary who had contacts with both Hamas and Israeli security officials.
Sinwar had reportedly warned through the intermediary in September 2023 that he was preparing a "zilzal," or earthquake, later describing what was coming as "the mother of all surprises" and "a terrifying operation."
That intelligence reached the Shin Bet on September 15, according to Haaretz. Bar subsequently briefed Netanyahu and reportedly warned during a security assessment two days later that Israel was "on a collision course," recommending either offensive action or strengthened defenses around Gaza and the West Bank.
Haaretz also reported that Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel separately contacted Netanyahu around the same period to warn that Hamas was planning "something unusual, a terrifying operation." The prime minister, however, insisted again that Israel was in control and reportedly mentioned neither call during an October 1 security discussion about Hamas and Gaza.
The Prime Minister's Office categorically denied the central allegation in a comment to The Jerusalem Post.
"An absolute lie! Prime Minister Netanyahu did not speak with the president of the United Arab Emirates during the period in question and did not receive any warning from him," it said.
Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, however, backed the report Tuesday, telling Tel Aviv-based radio station 103FM he "knew for a fact the report is true."
"Mohammed bin Zayed of the Emirates warned Netanyahu that Sinwar was planning an operation. Abbas Kamel, the head of Egyptian General Intelligence, also warned Netanyahu days before the massacre that a major operation was being planned," Bennett said. "I don't want to talk about my relationship with anyone. I'm telling you that I know this fact is true."
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