Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces political pressure and new allegations from regional officials and journalists that he ignored high-level warnings ahead of the October 7, 2023, attacks, just weeks before national elections this month.
Netanyahu Denies Warning Reports
With national elections scheduled for later this month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is defending against fresh allegations that he ignored high-level warnings from regional allies regarding the Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023. In a newly published book, journalists Shlomi Eldar and Ruth Yuval report that the United Arab Emirates warned Netanyahu 10 days prior to the attack of a potential major operation by the militant group.
Shortly after those book excerpts appeared in Haaretz, outlets including The Wall Street Journal and The Atlantic reported that Egypt’s intelligence head at the time, Abbas Kamel, delivered similar warnings during the days preceding the attack.
“I didn’t ignore any warnings because I didn’t receive any warnings, I mean that’s a complete hoax. It’s politically propagated by certain countries or certain elements abroad, but they’re completely false.”
Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister, via CBS News
Netanyahu has dismissed the allegations as fabrications propagated by political opponents and foreign actors seeking to influence the vote. Last week, he filed a defamation lawsuit against Israeli news outlets that published the allegations. Eldar denied the accusations of political recruitment, insisting that the timing of the book’s publication coincides with the time it took to verify the allegations contained within it. He tried to say that we're just recruited by the opposition,
said Eldar.
Hebrew University political scientist Gayil Talshir noted that the new reports about warnings issued to Israel turn the story on its head and point the finger back at the prime minister, violating the basic narrative that Netanyahu attempts to present to Israelis.
Officials Detail Advance Intelligence
Multiple sources in the Middle East with direct knowledge of the intelligence have confirmed that warnings reached Israeli officials repeatedly in the weeks and days before the assault. Sufian Abu Zaida, a former Palestinian Authority official who helped mediate secret talks between Hamas and Israel for more than a year, told reporters that a warning came directly from the leader of Hamas in Gaza weeks before Oct. 7.
A senior Egyptian official reported that intelligence chief Abbas Kamel traveled to Israel with two senior officials and met with the heads of the Mossad and Shin Bet. Kamel relayed warnings that Gaza was about to explode. Nimrod Novik stated that he was informed before October 7 that Egypt repeatedly warned Israel.
Segev Cites Shin Bet Warnings
Former senior Shin Bet official Ilan Segev pushed back against the prime minister’s denials during an interview on Kan News’ Reshet Bet, asserting that Netanyahu’s claims of receiving no warnings are false.
He recalled an April 2017 State Control Committee meeting where Netanyahu himself outlined the exact tactics utilized in the October 7 assault, including commandos, drones, community takeovers, and civilian kidnappings. Former top Israeli security official Shlomo Mofaz pointed out that authorities grasped the data at their disposal without properly interpreting its meaning, adding that even when recognizing Hamas intended to take action, the scale and potency they ultimately deployed were never anticipated.
According to Segev, every time the agency returned and stated they were ready, they received the exact same response to maintain readiness.
Protesters Demand Inquiry Before Elections
The anniversary of the attack and the surfacing of new allegations have intensified public demonstrations in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, where citizens continue demanding accountability from Netanyahu and a state commission of inquiry into the security failures. Netanyahu has so far refused to establish such an inquiry, while blaming Israeli security organizations for failing to stop the October 7 attacks.