Three years ago, thousands of Hamas-led militants breached the border between Gaza and Israel in asurprise attack, killing 1,205 people and taking 251 as hostages back to the Gaza Strip. Israel responded with a heavy hand and launched a military campaign in Gaza during which at least74,347 peoplehave been killed, according to the enclave’s Hamas-run health ministry. The events have left deep scars in Israel, where voters will elect a new parliament on October 27, and have become a central issue in the campaign.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is running for another term, but the question of what he knew before the deadly attacks three years ago is hanging over Israel’s longest-serving leader. As Israel heads to the polls, reports that Arab leaders warned him of a looming Hamas offensive have not let up. Israeli journalists Shlomi Eldar and Ruth Yuval revealed that President Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyanof the United Arab Emirates(UAE) had warned Netanyahu by phone about 10 days before the October 7 attacks in 2023 that a major confrontation with Hamas was coming.
Inextracts of their bookthat were ited “three foreign senior sources” and a Palestinian adviser to bin Zayed who all confirmed that the UAE's president telephoned the Israeli leader. During their 45-minute conversation, bin Zayed allegedly told Netanyahu that a former Hamas leader in Gaza,Yahya Sinwar, was planning a major operation that could lead to “bloodshed” and even “destabilise the region”. To bin Zayed’s surprise, the journalists reported, “Netanyahu reacted calmly” and said “Israel was prepared for any scenario”.
The report went on to say that bin Zayed told former CIA director William J. Burns about the conversation. But for his part, Netanyahu did not brief state security agency Shin Bet, the Mossad intelligence agency or his army chief of staff about the call.
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The prime minister’s office denied the accusations, saying no warning was given and that the report was a “wicked fabrication with clear political timing” by left-wing Israeli officials. Netanyahu has since sued Haaretz for defamation. But the newspaper is standing its ground and has been backed byThe New York Times, which confirmed and added details to the report.
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