Benjamin Netanyahu faces political pressure after report he was warned about Hamas attack
Report says UAE president warned Netanyahu roughly ten days before the 7 October 2023 Hamas assault; office denies and opposition demands investigation.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is under renewed political pressure after a report said he was warned days before the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack that a major operation was being prepared. The report says Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, President of the United Arab Emirates, called Netanyahu and raised concerns about an imminent large-scale move by Hamas.
Opposition demands inquiry as Netanyahu's office denies the claims
Netanyahu's office dismissed the allegations as "an absolute lie," but opposition parties have seized on the report to renew calls for a prompt and thorough investigation into what the prime minister knew, when he was informed, and why protective measures for civilians were not taken.
Four opposition leaders — Gadi Eizenkot, Naftali Bennett, Avigdor Lieberman and Yair Golan — issued a joint statement demanding an inquiry into what they described as failures and dysfunction linked to the lead-up to the assault.
The report is said to be based on material presented in a book by Israeli journalists Shlomi Eldar and Ruti Yuval, and it claims the UAE president phoned Netanyahu around ten days before the attack. That conversation reportedly lasted about 45 minutes, during which the UAE leader warned that Hamas commander in Gaza Yahya Sinwar was preparing a significant operation that could cause mass bloodshed and destabilize the region.
According to the same account, Netanyahu responded calmly and assured his interlocutor that Israel was prepared for any scenario. The UAE's Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not confirm or deny the report and said it does not comment on media accounts or speculation about talks between state leaders.
One of the book's authors, Shlomi Eldar, rejected Netanyahu's denials that the call took place, saying he possesses documents and recordings indicating that the UAE president contacted the prime minister about a week and a half before the attack and warned that Sinwar was planning a major strike. The report has intensified pressure on Netanyahu ahead of elections in October, with opponents already long demanding an independent probe into the security and intelligence lapses that preceded the 7 October assault, which left more than 1,200 people dead and saw over 250 taken hostage and brought into Gaza.
Photo: Принтскрин
