Netanyahu Hamas Attack Warning: UAE Alert Before Oct 7

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received an explicit warning from a senior Arab leader about an impending Hamas attack a week and a half before the October 7 massacre, but chose not to act on it, according to an investigation published Tuesday in Haaretz newspaper.

The investigation, conducted for a forthcoming book titled "Hostages - 843 Days of Abandonment," reveals that United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed made an unusual phone call to Netanyahu, warning him that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was planning a "significant event." According to the report, bin Zayed told the prime minister that Sinwar had sent a message indicating he was preparing an "earthquake."

Netanyahu's response to the warning was reportedly one of complete indifference, according to the investigation. The prime minister assessed that the reference was to an escalation in the West Bank. Critically, Netanyahu chose not to share the warning with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, the IDF Chief of Staff, the head of the Shin Bet security service, or the director of the Mossad intelligence agency.

Netanyahu's office issued a categorical denial of the report, calling it "a complete lie." According to the official response, the prime minister did not speak with the UAE president and did not receive any warning from him before the October 7 attack.

Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett responded sharply to the report, stating: "This morning's publication that Netanyahu was warned ten days before the October 7 massacre about Sinwar's intentions - is true."

Bennett placed direct responsibility on Netanyahu: "Netanyahu bears personal and direct responsibility for the failure that led to the deaths of thousands of Israelis on his watch. His disregard for the warnings is criminal negligence, and that's why he's doing everything to prevent the establishment of a state commission of inquiry that would expose the truth."

Bennett added that "Netanyahu was held captive to his own conception that even clear warnings from regional leaders didn't move him from his seat. What was on his mind in those days was continuing to divide Israeli society, continuing the policy of containment and buying temporary quiet while surrendering to terror."